Production on director Matthew Vaughn‘s new comic book movie X-Men: First Class is getting ready to begin later this month, so the final castings should be coming through very soon. A new name now being added to the mix is Rose Byrne, who is currently in negotiations on a deal that would see her joining the cast that already features James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Kevin Bacon.

Byrne would be playing Moira MacTaggert, a scientist and expert on genetic mutations who finds herself in a romance with McAvoy’s character, a young Professor Xavier. Not much is known about the film’s storyline, but we do know it will focus strongly on the young Professor X and Magneto (Fassbender), when they had a close bond with each other before differences in opinion ultimately saw them traveling much different paths.

Byrne’s biggest role thus far is perhaps Ellen Parsons on the TV series Damages, but she has starred in many well-known movies as well. Notable film credits include Troy, Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later, and Knowing. She even had a small role in Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones.

Also joining the cast recently as revealed at Movie-Con (via ComingSoon), is Jason Flemyng. The actor will play Azazel, a teleporter who goes on to father Nightcrawler. Flemyng has previously starred in Clash of the Titans, as well as Matthew Vaughn’s Stardust and Kick-Ass.

The rest of the X-Men: First Class cast consists of up-an-coming talents. They are Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Alice Eve as Emma Frost, Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee, Lucas Till as Havoc, and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.

[Source: THR]