Rose Byrne To Return For X-Men: Apocalypse

Via Entertainment Weekly, Rose Byrne is set to return as Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: Apocalypse. Byrne’s version of the character was first introduced in 2011’s X-Men: First Class as a CIA agent and Professor Xavier’s love interest.

In the interview with EW, writer Simon Kinberg describes the importance of Moira MacTaggert:

"She’s a significant character in the movie … We ended First Class with Charles having wiped portions of her memory of her experience with the X-Men. They are, essentially, strangers to her when she meets them."

Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, Moira MacTaggert first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #96 (December 1975). As a Nobel Prize-winning researcher working on genetic mutation, Moira MacTaggert (née Kinross) had the longest human relationship with the X-Men. She met Charles Xavier at Oxford University when they were doing their postgraduate studies, and later fell in love and became engaged. She later broke off her engagement with Xavier for reasons unknown and married Joe MacTaggert, who turned out to be both verbally and physically abusive. When Moira finally separate from him, he raped her and beat her into a week-long coma. The assault resulted in a pregnancy, and she later gave birth to a son, Kevin — who would become the mutant villain Proteus / Mutant X. Throughout the years, Moira would become a close ally with the X-Men and fight alongside the team.

Rose Byrne will actually be the second actress to play Moira MacTaggert in a live-action incarnation. The first actress to play her was Olivia Williams in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where she had a brief appearance on a video speaking about the ethics of mutant abilities.

The news about Byrne’s reprising her role comes on the heels of the announcement of younger actors being cast for the roles of Jean Grey, Scott Summers / Cyclops, and Ororo Munroe / Storm.

X-Men: Apocalypse has a planned release date of May 27, 2016 and will be directed by Bryan Singer and written by Simon Kinberg, Dan Harris, and Michael Dougherty.

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