Dark Phoenix Who is Lamar Johnson!? Official Character Discussion Thread

[psylockolussus]

Dazzlers boyfriend?

Why would Dazzler have a boyfriend in the film?

 

[X-Maniac]

I hope he plays the Bishop.

Bishop is one possibility though I also suggested Synch. With the young Blink being in The Gifted they may also be adding a young Bishop to the series.

Likely to be added as a token attempt at diversity who will end up being a casualty or for a cool power effect. When it comes to non-whites in this series, best not to expect too much.

One more thing is it could be a character made black for the films like Human Torch and Domino.

 

[Leo Zelinsky]

One more thing is it could be a character made black for the films like Human Torch and Domino.

Mimic or Morph is my guess

 

[X-Maniac]

Mimic or Morph is my guess

Very possible, maybe a composite of both. And if he's disguised as one of the X-Men, it could be him that is actually the death mentioned (one of the remaining First Class characters).

 

[Leo Zelinsky]

Very possible, maybe a composite of both. And if he's disguised as one of the X-Men, it could be him that is actually the death mentioned (one of the remaining First Class characters).

It'd just be extremely sad if they brought in Synch with Jubilee not involved.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

Watched "Kings” last night, and i'm impressed by Lamar Johnsons acting skill. His acting, expresions, dialogue delivery, body language.. wow.

Cannot wait to see him in Dark Phoenix.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

Lamar Johnson Will Give You Something to Talk About

The actor stars in "The Hate U Give" and will join the Marvel franchise with "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" next year.

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Lamar Johnson has just landed in New York from his hometown of Toronto. He shows up to a photo shoot in Midtown with a large suitcase in tow, and quickly trades his Calvin Klein denim for Thom Browne trousers. (Raf Simons? “He’s just killin’ it,” says the 24-year-old actor.)

Johnson recently attended the Toronto International Film Festival, where he had a film premiering for the second year in a row. Last year, it was “Kings”; this past September, he was there for “The Hate U Give,” adapted from the popular young adult novel centered on racism, police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Everybody’s receiving [the film] so well, and it’s really resonating with people,” says Johnson, who portrays the brother of the central character; the film stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter. “I just knew that people would have a conversation about it — I knew it would evoke conversation.”

The film’s producers knew that as well.

“George [Tillman Jr.], the director, he actually got the manuscript before it even came out as a book. So he had his ear on the pavement very, very early,” Johnson says. “And when [the book] came out, it was number one on The New York Times bestseller list and then 20th Century Fox was kind of just like, ‘OK, cool, we need to make this movie.'”

The film has received favorable reviews, and although it’s targeted toward a teen audience, the themes being explored are topical and provocative across demographics — age, race, social.

“I think it has a lot of representation for both sides — black and white, or even just people of color in general,” Johnson adds. “The topics that are touched in this film are so very relevant and topical, and also I think there’s a reason why these stories are being told….I think it’s really great that it’s being put on this medium and on this scale for people around the world to see this.”

The actor found out he was cast in the project while filming the upcoming X-Men mega-blockbuster “Dark Phoenix” in Montreal. Johnson signed a multipicture deal for the Marvel film; while his character hasn’t been revealed, Johnson offers that he is portraying an existing student from Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. “There are so many characters, so I’m just happy I’m able to be of service to one of them,” he says. “I’ll be a part of the next [film], too. You kind of get to go on this journey with my character, so that’s a lot of fun for me, but also fun for the fans that love and know this character.”

Book adaptations — be it comic or literary — seem to be a theme in Johnson’s current career arc. He also appears in artist Rashid Johnson’s forthcoming film “Native Son,” adapted from the Richard Wright classic, and this month will begin filming “All the Bright Places,” another adaptation of a novel, starring Elle Fanning. “I feel like I’m getting all these adaptations, but those are the best ones,” he says.

“I’m very blessed to have worked on such great projects with such a great cast, such great filmmakers,” Johnson adds. “I’m an inspiring filmmaker myself, I want to direct — so to work with these people and to be able to just watch the process and soak in as much as I can on set, it’s just amazing to do. Because then I’m going to apply certain things into my practices and it’s only going to then elevate me.”

The actor, who grew up in Toronto, moved to Los Angeles in March after traveling back-and-forth for several years. While acting has taken center stage, he’s found time to film a few short freestyle dance videos as well. He’s self taught, and credits dance as his first passion; one of his first acting credits was the dance TV drama “The Next Step.”

“With these videos I do, I use it as a way to exercise my directing muscle and that thing I have inside of me,” he says. “But also to use it as an outlet to continue to dance, because acting has taken over my life — in the best way possible.”

 

[icekid]

Quentin comes to mind for me. I remember that Japanese singer Rain has signed on rumored to be Sunfire but then had to drop out, so my hunch is they filled that role with another mutant.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

I think Lamar is Bobby Drake/Iceman in DPh.

 

[icekid]

I don’t think they would do a recast in that nature because then why would character that came about differently than the OT when the timeline split have some be dramatically different in background and age but others like Scott-Jean-Ororo be actual younger versions of themselves. Events that happened to them play differently but other than that, it’s them. Doesn’t explain Colossus in DP but we can say that in the OT his parents migrated and raised him in America whereas in the new timeline they stayed in Russia and I dunno, did more manual labor and got built.

Lamar is likely to be a character not seen before. Kind of want it to be anole for the sake of having more physical mutations represented in the films. Kinberg has a big opportunity to up the ante and go that route since he talked about changing a lot of what we knew for the sake of establishing this as a new direction. That and across the comics lately I feel like it’s an ongoing gag that Anole always answers the door at the institute.

 

[psylockolussus]

I think Lamar is Bobby Drake/Iceman in DPh.

God no.

 

[x-er]

Or boy bishop? We saw white adult icemand and black adult bishop in days of future past which is part of these prequels’ continuity.

 

[psylockolussus]

Young Bishop would be cool.

 

[psyonic]

How about random mutant student with 1 line?

 

[EnDz0n3]

Quentin comes to mind for me. I remember that Japanese singer Rain has signed on rumored to be Sunfire but then had to drop out, so my hunch is they filled that role with another mutant.

You don't think Rain (South Korean singer, not Japanese) tried out for Sunfire who was to be part of Magneto's group, which they then rewrote to be Red Lotus? Unfortunately the likelihood that a movie would have two different Asian characters is very low.

 

[icekid]

You don't think Rain (South Korean singer, not Japanese) tried out for Sunfire who was to be part of Magneto's group, which they then rewrote to be Red Lotus? Unfortunately the likelihood that a movie would have two different Asian characters is very low.

Highly likely they just rewrote it, it’s not like they’re going to have more than 2 lines (IF they speak) and are just being used for a power display or two. There won’t be much to shuffle in the script. We know better than to expect more than that unless the henchman is Pyro or OG Mystique. Remember X3 Psylocke’s “They want to exterminate us!” and then coming out of a wall with not a single shadow cast on it. Arclight’s shockwaves? Multiple man’s two scenes?

 

[EnDz0n3]

Your post made it sound like you think Sunfire was rewritten as Quentin Quire, who Lamar Johnson has now filled. What I'm saying is Lamar's student character was always there (whatever "always there" means in these movies) but it was Sunfire that was written out and Red Lotus that Sunfire was replaced with.

 

[icekid]

Sorry about that. The Quentin Quire thing was just my own hope. I think it can work. Possibly through a scene where she goes on her own they’ll need a telepath that’s not Xavier and so telepathically familiar to Jean to track her down.

As far as the Sunfire/Red Lotus situation, I’d say we’re probably spot on with one having replaced the other than the both of them having existed in the script alongside each other. Though during the initial news I presumed Sunfire would be on the student side of things and that’s where I initially threw Lamar in as the “Sunfire placeholder”.

Lamar is playing a student and honestly, we know and have seen nothing of the school outside the X-Men team! Not even a tidbit. Probably learned not to showcase something during production that ends up so minor in the long haul like Jubilee turned out.

 

[EnDz0n3]

Lamar would be lucky if he ends up with a similar-sized role to Shawn Ashmore in X-men 1. As opposed to Lana Condor in X-men Apocalypse.

IIRC Shawn's casting in 1999 was never announced in any of the trades (and virtually no one knew of him) and his role was a pleasant surprise (much more so than Katrina Florece, Sumela Kay and *checks imdb* Alex Burton).

At the end of the day both of X-men 1's Iceman and X-men Apocalypse's Jubilee might've had the same amount of screen time but not advertising Shawn left a better impression for his Iceman than over selling Lana.

Unfortunately the trades announcing Lamar's casting, plus that WWD.com article that Erik Lensherr posted where he says he has a character arc (+ to expect him in a sequel...), has added tremendous pressure on his role to be a bigger deal. The suggestions have ran the gamut from Gladiator (because Lamar was seen in one photo flexing his ummm...bicep LOL) to uhhh...Iceman.

Thankfully most of us know better than to expect a lot from this casting, or tbh any casting that's not Fassy, McAvoy, JLaw, Chastain or Turner.

 

[Mysteryman]

Well, if he does have only a bit part, at least his career gets some hype for just a little while.

 

[icekid]

Didn’t work for Lana Candor, who wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, but Shailene Woodley comes to mind though hers was way more spectacle and a lot more “stop trying to make fetch happen”

 

[I Am The Knight]

How about random mutant student with 1 line?

Maybe he can be picked up by the MCU later.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

Maybe he can be picked up by the MCU later.

Please stop trolling.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Lolwut? I mean the MCU has a history of picking actors up from the Fox Marvel films and giving them great roles like Evans and MBJ.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

You want to provoke longtime Fox loyalist. And then act like the hurt party.