Keller in 'Fargo' Courtesy of FX
Rachel Keller will take on the female lead and reunite with showrunner Noah Hawley.
FX has cast the female lead in its X-Men drama take Legion.
Fargo favorite Rachel Keller has been tapped to star in the drama, reuniting with showrunner Noah Hawley, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The Legion pilot introduces the story of David Haller, a man who may be more than human and who has has struggled with mental illness since his teenage years. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real. In the comics, David is the son of X-Men founder Charles Xavier (aka Professor X) and Israeli Holocost survivor Gabrielle Haller. The character first appeared in New Mutants #25 in March 1985.
Keller will play the female lead, described as a scrappy and optimistic woman in her 20s. As with most Marvel fare, more specific details about her character are being kept under wraps, including her potential powers though it's rumored she may be an incarnation of Rogue and Spyke.
The casting comes after Keller's breakout turn in Fargo season two as Simon Gerhardt. The role was the actress' first leading gig and helped her become a fan favorite.
Legion hails from FX Productions and Marvel Television, with FXP overseeing production. Hawley, who has an overall with FXP, will write the pilot and serve as an executive producer alongside Lauren Shuler Donner (X-Men: Days of Future Past,Wolverine), Bryan Singer (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Superman Returns), Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Martian) and Marvel Television topper Jeph Loeb (Agents of SHIELD, Daredevil) and Jim Chory (Daredevil). Fargo's John Cameron is also on board as an exec producer, via hisoverall deal with FXP, marking his and Hawley's latest collaboration after Golden Globe-winning anthology Fargo.
Pilot Season
