Stranger Things Star Training For X-Men: New Mutants Role

Cannonball may be “nigh invulnerable while blastin’,” but even he has to hit the gym to stay in superhero shape.

That’s exactly what Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton is doing in preparation for bringing Cannonball, a.k.a. Sam Guthrie to life in the upcoming X-Men: New Mutants live-action movie.

Personal trainer Marc Bevan shared a photo of himself with Heaton and his agent, revealing that they’d been working together to prepare Heaton for his mutant debut.

“Been an absolute pleasure training [Charlie Heaton] for his upcoming role in X-Men: The New Mutants. Check out @xmenmovies for regular updates on filming. Here I am dwarfing both [Charlie Heaton] and his agent!” Bevan wrote when posting the photo Instagram.

Heaton was first said to be in talks for the role of Cannonball in late May. It seems those talks went well since Heaton is now making physical preparations for the role.

Cannonball has the mutant ability to create a jet-like explosion that propels him through the air. His ability also comes with a forcefield that makes him nearly invulnerable while he’s in motion. Or, as the Kentucky native himself would say, “he’s nigh invulnerable when he’s blastin’.”

The cast of X-Men: New Mutants is filling out nicely. In addition to Heaton as Cannonball, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams will play Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane and The Witch and Split star Anya Taylor-Joy will the X-Man Colossus’s sister, the mutant sorceress Illyana Rasputin/Magik. Henry Zaga will play Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Cannonball’s best friend, and Blu Hunt will play Danielle Moonstar/Mirage, who co-leads the New Mutants alongside Cannonball. Rumor has it that the film may also be looking to cast Karma, the team’s original leader.

The alien Warlock will also be featured in the movie, though likely brought to life with digital effects. Rosario Dawson will play Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a mutant with a personal forcefield who will serve as the young team’s mentor.

Fox is hoping that New Mutants will put a different spin on the superhero movie genre, much like they did with Logan and Deadpool. Where Logan was a kind of modern western and Deadpool injected the genre with raunchy comedy, New Mutants looks to blend young adult conventions with the teen movies and horror flicks of the 1980s, the era when the New Mutants were created.

The plot of X-Men: New Mutants reportedly finds the young mutants trapped in a secret installation where they are forced to battle threats physical and mental.

X-Men: New Mutants is being directed by Josh Boone, from a script he co-wrote with Knate Lee. Filming is said to begin in Boston in July.

The New Mutants were the first ever X-Men spinoff comic book series. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod in 1982, the series saw Professor X recruiting a new class of young mutants for his school for gifted youngsters at a time when he believed the X-Men were dead.

X-Men: New Mutants opens in theaters April 13, 2018.

MORE X-MEN NEWS: X-Men: New Mutants Casting Call Hints At Warlock’s Appearance / New Mutants Has Entered Pre-Production / X-Men’s Lana Condor Would Like To Revisit Jubilee Once More / Simon Kinberg In Talks To Direct New X-Men Film