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Doug Jones Joins the Extensive Cast of Legion

by Alex Billington
April 1, 2008
Source: Film School Rejects

Last Thursday Variety announced a cast for a new film called Legion that Sony's Screen Gems is putting together. Included in the announcement were Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh, Adrianne Palicki, and Kevin Durand. I didn't think much of it until now, when the guys at Film School Rejects hit us with another new cast member - Doug Jones. You may not know his name, but you'll know his performances: Abe Sapien in Hellboy, El Fauno and Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth, and Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four 2. He's the kind of actor that once he gets attached, I'm immediately interested. And now that I've looked more into this, it sounds incredible.

To put it simply, Legion is about angels protecting Earth from the wrath of God. But wait, it's not that simple. Paul Bettany plays the archangel Michael, who is the only being left standing between mankind and an apocalypse when God loses faith in humanity. Man's last hope lies in a group of strangers who must deliver a baby that they come to realize is Christ in his second coming. Whoa, sounds a bit like Dogma, but without the Kevin Smith touch. The script was written by Scott Charles Stewart and Peter Schink (Gotham Cafe). Doug Jones role has not been specified, but we can only assume its some radical being of sorts.

Scott Charles Stewart is also directing and David Lancaster (Riding the Bullet, Bobby, Starship Troopers 3) and Michel Litvak (Come Early Morning, Bobby) are producing. Here's where things get even more interesting. Stewart is making his directorial debut, but he is one of the senior staff at The Orphanage, a special effects house that's worked on effects for The Host, Superman Returns, Grindhouse, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and many other FX films. I hope this means at the very least we'll get some incredible visual effects.

As I mentioned initially, after looking further into this, it sounds pretty incredible. I'm not exactly sure what to expect - whether it's something more minimal like Dogma or something more FX heavy - but it's a project I'll certainly be keeping my eye on.

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