Benjamin Walker Joins 'X-Men'; No Word on BLOODY's Bway Chances

Showbiz411 reports that Benjamin Walker, currently starring in Off-Broadway's BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, has been confirmed for Matthew Vaughn's upcoming 'X-Men' prequel, 'X-Men: First Class.' According to the report, Walker has been cast as Beast, a role played previously in the series by LA CAGE AUX FOLLES star Kelsey Grammer.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, which is playing The Public Theatre through June 27 after multiple extensions, has been offered the Bernard Jacobs Theatre on Broadway for a fall opening by The Shubert Organization, should producers choose to make the quick transfer.

While the show's run at the Public was a critical and box office success, leaving the show in prime position for a fall opening on Broadway, one glitch is the availablity of the show's star, Benjamin Walker, who will be working on the upcoming 'X-Men' film through the end of the year. It is unclear whether the Jacobs Theatre would be made available to the production sometime for later in the 2010-2011 season.

Says Public Artistic Director Oscar Eustis to the Times: "We are still actively pursuing all possibilities for the future of BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, and are very optimistic things will work out...We can't confirm anything about Ben's plans but we're certainly sure he's a star and it would be nothing but to the credit of BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON if the rest of the world caught on."

BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON opened on April 6, 2010 and has received three extensions; it is to close on June 27. Written by Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman, it is a rock musical about Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States.

For tickets and more information, visit www.publictheater.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna