'X-Men' Actor Under Investigation for Tax Evasion

A former X-Man from Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past is finding herself at the center of China-wide crackdown on Tax invasion.

It was announced today that China is launching a full investigation into the country's film and TV industries, specifically related to tax evasion, specifically when it comes to singing multiple contracts. This has been a widely known practice but came back into the light after Chinese TV presenter Cui Yongyuan posted images implicating X-Men actress Fan Bingbing in the practice (via Deadline).

Cui posted several images on a social media account and said those were copies of different contracts signed by Bingbing relating to the same job. She denies that this is the case and has hired a legal team to refute the claims in court, but the practice itself is used quite a bit in the region.

These are referred to as yin-yang contracts, where someone signs multiple contracts for the same job and uses the contract with a lower value in their taxes, keeping more of the money as a result. The bureau for taxation wants to put an end to the practice, but they don't name Bingbing in their official statement of intent. The investigations will be carried out by local taxation offices in the southern province of Jiangsu as well as other offices.

Fan is a big start in China, listed as the world's fifth-highest paid actress in 2016. Marvel fans will recognize her as the teleporting mutant known as Blink, someone introduced in the comics in Marvel's epic X-Men storyline Age of Apocalypse. Bingbing also recently joined X-Men alum Simon Kinberg's new film 355, where she'll start alongside Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz. She also has projects like The King's Daughter, The Bombing, and Perfect Blue in various stages of production.

This wouldn't be the first time a Chinese actor has faced these types of charges. Liu Xiaoqing was convicted of tax evasion in 2002 and served a year in prison.

X-Men: Days of Future Past released in 2014, grossing $233 million at the domestic box office, while hitting for another $513 million overseas, combining for a worldwide total of $747 million. There hasn't been talk of the character of Blink returning, but anything's possible.