Rosario Dawson Leaves X-Men Spinoff ‘New Mutants,’ Alice Braga Replaces Her
By Ben Pearson/June 29, 2017 2:30 pm EST
The Hollywood Reporter has the news of the switch, but they aren’t sure why exactly Dawson has bailed on the project. She’s appeared in her fair share of comics-related films and television shows (Sin City, Daredevil, even Josie and the Pussycats) in her career, and the only upcoming project listed on her IMDb page is Netflix’s The Defenders, which she’s almost certainly completed filming by now. Any actor’s easiest excuse for bailing on a project – the tried-and-true “scheduling conflict” – doesn’t seem to apply here, so we’ll have to wait and see if she wasn’t lining up with co-writer/director Josh Boone’s vision for the movie or if another reason for her absence presents itself.
Instead, Braga will step into the role of “Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself but also has more going on than she lets on.” She seems like a good fit for the character, and definitely has the experience to take on a major role in a movie like this. The Brazilian actress broke out in 2002’s City of God and has since appeared in a number of genre projects including I Am Legend, Predators, and Elysium.
She’ll join a cast that already includes Maisie Williams (Wolfsbane), Anya Taylor-Joy (Majik), Charlie Heaton (Cannonball), Henry Zaga (Sunspot), and Blu Hunt (Danielle Moonstar).
New Mutants begins filming next month in Boston, and the movie will hit theaters on April 13, 2018.
