Casting on Noah Hawley’s upcoming X-Men-based TV series Legion, has been moving along at a decent clip since the series was announced late last year. Given Hawley’s increased profile as a result of his Emmy-winning work on FX’s Fargo, it was no surprise to see the project quickly attracting a slew of talent. While the search for the series’ lead ended with Downton Abbey and The Guest star Dan Stevens, most of the supporting roles have been filled as well, with the likes of Aubrey Plaza, and two performers known to Hawley from Fargo season 2: Jean Smart and Rachel Keller – who played Floyd, the head of the Gerhardt clan and her rebellious granddaughter Simone, respectively.
The list of actors is certainly impressive, but as production on the pilot nears, another recognizable performer has been added to the X-Men spinoff series in a supporting role. Katie Aselton of FX’s The League has been cast as Amy – who, according to reports, will be the older sister to Stevens’ character David Haller.
The initial report of Aselton’s casting came from Deadline, who broke the news earlier today with only word on the casting and the name of the character she would be playing. Naturally, the series being set in a universe tangentially related to the X-Men films produced under the 20th Century Fox banner, the question of whether or not Amy was a mutant or would bear any connection to the X-Men or mutantkind at all (in whatever way the show will be able to bear such a connection) was likely the first on most people’s lists.
But, as it turns out, according to a later report by EW the role is that of Haller’s sibling. Still, given that the series’ lead character is beleaguered by numerous split personalities, each in control of a different aspect of the mutant’s wide spectrum of power, there is a chance Aselton’s Amy may well prove to be more than just his “practical” older sister. And considering how, in the comics, David is the son of Professor Charles Xavier, any announcement of a familial relationship is bound to raise a few eyebrows – although it is unlikely the series will ever make a direct connection between David and Professor X.
At any rate, regardless of who or what Amy will or will not prove to be, Aselton’s casting offers proof that many decisions on FX’s casting begin in-house. Like Smart and Keller, Aselton has appeared on another of the network’s offerings – putting in seven seasons on the fantasy football comedy The League alongside her husband Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, and Stephen Rannazzisi. With that series having recently ended, Aselton has more room in her schedule, and that space has apparently filled up rather quickly. In addition to her upcoming role in Legion, she’ll be appearing in season 2 of Hulu’s Casual, as well as season 2 of HBO’s Duplass-fest Togetherness. Aselton also recently landed parts in two feature films: Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees and Bastards, alongside Owen Wilson and Ed Helms.
With so many projects lined up, it stands to reason that Hawley and the series’ writers aim to have Amy take on more of a limited supporting role, one that won’t require her to be on set as much as her other co-stars. But filming on the pilot is only starting this month, and should Legion move to series, there’s no telling where the story will take Amy or anyone else involved.
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Screen Rant will have more details regarding FX’s Legion series as they are made available.
