'X-Men: X-Men: Apocalypse' Cast Update: What Oscar Issac's Casting Means for Latino Actors
Oscar Isaac has been cast as the villain in "X-Men: Apocalypse" making him the first Latino actor to be cast in the franchise.
The Guatemalan actor has become one of the most sought after actors of his generation and has worked with some of the most important directors. In the upcoming film he will star alongside Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and James McAvoy and the film is slated to be the most destructive movie in the franchise.
This year alone Isaac starred in the period film "In Secret" by Charlie Stratton and the indie hit "The Two Faces of January" by Hossein Amini. At the end of the year the actor will star in his most acclaimed role to date in "A Most Violent year." The actor is obtaining Oscar buzz for his performance and most critics are saying it is his best role to date. He has already scored a Gotham Award nomination and more are sure to come.
Isaac's big breakout came last year when he starred in the title role of "inside Llewyn Davis" by the Coen brothers. The movie saw Isaac obtain a number of awards including a Golden Globe nomination and his stardom immediately rose.
Having been cast in "X-Men" brings Latino actors back to the forefront especially since franchises have lacked Latino actors throughout Hollywood cinema. Most protagonists in franchises tend to be white and sometimes franchises cast black actors. However there has been a revolution for Latino actors in the past few years. "X-Men" actually marks the second big franchise for Isaac. Earlier this year, Isaac had already been cast in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and it is rumored he will have a huge role.
Isaac is one of the few Latino actors who has made a breakthrough in big franchises. As a matter of fact the Dominican actress Zoe Saldana has been in three franchise films in lead roles. This year she was seen in "The Guardians of the Galaxy" and she is slated to be in another sequel. She is also slated to reprise her in the upcoming sequels to "Avatar." She is also slated to be in the third "Star Trek" film.
Other Latino actors that have made big franchise films include Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. Bardem starred in "Skyfall" and he will be in the upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean" film. Meanwhile Cruz also starred in the fifth "Pirates if the Caribbean" film.
Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas had some success with the "Puss in Boots" film which was a spin-off of "Shrek." Banderas also starred in the franchise "The Legend of Zoro."
Robert Rodriguez has also created franchises with huge Latino roles. His films "Sin City" and "Machete" exposed Latinos to the mainstream. Demian Bechir has also made a big breakthrough in Hollywood as he landed the lead role in the TV hit "The Bridge." He is also slated to appear in Quentin Tarantino's next film "The Hateful Eight." Sofia Vergara has also appeared in "Machete Kills" and represented Latino culture in her hit TV show "Modern Family."
Isaac has become a huge A-List actor and with "Star Wars" and "X-Men," he is sure to close the gap even more and give Latino actors even more possibilities of being in a major franchise.
"X-Men: Apocalypse" will be released by 20th Century Fox and will be released on May 27, 2016.
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