Kevin Bacon In Talks To Play X-Men: First Class Villain

By Peter Sciretta/July 9, 2010 11:23 am EST

Update: many readers think Bacon might be playing Mr. Sinister, who is described as the following on wikipedia:

Previously:

Mister Sinister is a genetically altered human with superhuman physical and mental abilities. Mister Sinister was granted powers through genetic alterations by Apocalypse, and throughout the years has used genetic material from other mutants to grant himself a truly vast array of superhuman abilities. Mister Sinister possesses superhuman strength, stamina and reflexes. Mister Sinister possesses the psionic abilities of telepathy, telekinesis, and mind control. Mister Sinister has the ability to psionically paralyze a foe or “turn off” the power of another mutant. Mister Sinister is capable of energy projection and flight through telekinesis. Using genetic material from the mutant Courier, Mister Sinister gained complete control of his body at the cellular level, allowing him to shape-shift, regenerate and be virtually immune to injuries. The character has exhibited the ability to teleport, though the Beast believes this is accomplished through his tesseract headquarters. Mister Sinister is also a scientific genius, with expertise in the fields of biology, genetics, cloning, physics and engineering. The character is a master manipulator and planner, with decades of genetic research at his command.

In case you’re confused, here is the official casting thus far:

And here is a list of the unconfirmed casting rumors:

Matthew Vaughn beat out eight directors to take the helm. Bryan Singer was originally attached to return to the X-Men franchise to helm this new film, but his commitment to Jack The Giant Killer at Warner Bros will prevent him from directing. Singer’s treatment was a Str Trek-style reboot/prequel, which will focus on “the formative years of Xavier and Magneto, and the formation of the school and where there [sic] relationship took a wrong turn.” Singer has previously admitted that First Class would “probably utilize some of the [planned/announced X-Men Origins:] Magneto story because it deals with a young Magneto,” and that “it might supersede” that plan because this new movie would explore “that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust.”

Here is the official plot synopsis:

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, following the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga.  Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.