‘X-Men: The New Mutants’ Gives Blu Hunt Her Shot As Danielle Moonstar

Marvel’s X-Men franchise is seeing yet another reboot, introducing another younger cast to carry on the story with a spinoff that will introduce a whole new list of mutants. Among those coming to the franchise in X-Men: The New Mutants are previously announced additions Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Split). Now, Marvel has completed its cast of new heroes with the addition of new actress Blu Hunt, who has strictly appeared on television until now. As news of Hunt’s casting as Danielle Moonstar reaches Marvel fans, curiosity about Hunt and Mirage, her X-Men alter ego, raises questions and anticipation for The New Mutants.

Blu Hunt Gets Her Big Break In X-Men: The New Mutants

The Hollywood Reporter shares that Blu Hunt will be playing Danielle Moonstar, a telepathic Native American, in X-Men: The New Mutants. Moonstar’s alter ego will be named Mirage, hinting that her telepathy may involve a little more than mere mind reading trickery.

X-Men: The New Mutants will recreate the Marvel franchise with a horror theme, most likely in an attempt to compete in the market Universal Pictures is hoping to create with their classic monster movie reboots. The New Mutants will tell the story of five teens trying to escape from a government facility, where their unique gifts are the subject of study and fear.

As Moonstar, Blu Hunt will play a mutant with the ability to create illusions, which will come in handy as the group flees the facility and takes their chances amid the mutant-wary masses.

It has been suggested that, as Moonstar/Mirage, Blu Hunt has been cast in a leading role and one that may send her skyrocketing toward fame. X-Men: The New Mutants is said to rely heavily on a Marvel “Demon Bear” story arc from the early ’80s and that story revolved around the Moonstar character, so it’s likely that Ms. Hunt has landed a prominent role in the rebooted X-Men franchise.

Who Is Blu Hunt?

According to Bustle, Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Studios launched an exhaustive search for an actress to play Danielle Moonstar because they wanted to stay faithful to the character’s Native American heritage. Discovering Blu Hunt in their search gave them just the actress they sought, and it provided Hunt with an opportunity she might not have had for some time to come.

The studio has undoubtedly been concerned with avoiding the backlash other projects have received over diversity issues, as explained by their recent talent search in casting Danielle Moonstar. Casting a Native American actress to play a Native American character should resolve any fan criticism, while also promoting a new policy of diversity in casting.

Currently, Blu is widely known as the latest villain on the CW network’s The Originals, playing a supernatural being known only as The Hollow. Prior to her casting in The Originals, Ms. Hunt was cast in Girl on Girl and This Is It, though the two television pilots have yet to air.

Blu Hunt has commented on her casting in X-Men: The New Mutants via an Instagram post. The actress shared an image of a painting in which a Native American woman, dressed in face paint and wearing a pendant on her forehead, is superimposed over a group of tepees. The painting also shows a snow storm, suggesting the harshness of early frontier life.

“Honored to be playing the role of Dani Moonstar,” Blu Hunt captioned the picture. “Thank you @joshboonemovies for letting me be apart of her story and this amazing movie!”

X-Men: The New Mutants, starring Blu Hunt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rosario Dawson, and Maisie Williams, will premiere in theaters on April 13, 2018.

[Featured Image by the CW Network]