Rachel Keller became a fan favorite with her role as Simone Gerhardt on Season Two of FX’s acclaimed hit ‘Fargo’ and her performance apparently wowed FX producers and ‘Fargo’ creator Noah Hawley so much that she was handpicked to take on the female lead role on their upcoming X-Men spinoff series ‘Legion’, which Hawley is also producing along with Bryan Singer, the director/producer of the first two and last two ‘X-Men’ movies, including the upcoming ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. Also producing are Lauren Schuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory, John Cameron and Steve Blackman. Hawley also penned the pilot episode.
‘Legion’ will focus on David Haller, a young mutant that has been diagnosed as schizophrenic and has spent most of his life in and out of mental institutions. But after a mysterious encounter with another patient, Haller discovers that the voices in his head and the visions he encounters may be real.
The name of Keller’s character is unknown, but she will also be a mutant and her powers involve human touch. She is described as a “scrappy, optimistic woman in her 20s.” (Keller is 23.) It hasn’t even been revealed whether this character will be adapted from the comics or will be a brand new creation.
In the comics, David Haller is the son of Charles Xavier, but it’s unknown if that relationship will be maintained on the show. It’s also unclear just how tightly ‘Legion’ will be connected to the movies. (Especially, since it’s unclear what the film franchise’s future entails. There is talk of a total reboot after ‘Apocalypse’ and Hugh Jackman’s next and final ‘Wolverine’ movie.)
As of now, FX has only ordered a pilot for ‘Legion’. Whether it gets picked up for an ongoing series depends on whether the network likes what they see, but considering that FX is owned by 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the ‘X-Men’ movies, its chances are pretty good.
Are you intrigued to see a show about ‘Legion’? What do you think of Keller’s casting?
Source: Deadline
