Concept artwork reveals Archangel in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE director Bryan Singer has confirmed to Empire that Ben Hardy (BBC’s EastEnders) will play Angel. “Ben Hardy is Angel – I shall confirm it for you,” said Singer. “But he’s not a very nice Angel! And that’s all I’ll say.

Singer is alluding to Angel’s darker counterpart, Archangel, who is an artificially-augmented mutant who serves the film’s villain, En Sabah Nur (played by Oscar Isaac) as one of his four horsemen. Angel’s natural bird-like wings are transformed into weapons.

Hardy joins a cast that includes past X-Men talent, along with newcomers Oscar Isaac as En Sabah Nur, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Aleandra Shipp as Storm, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler and Lana Condor as Jubilee.