The original X-Men movies Colossus actor, Daniel Cudmore, seems set to return to the franchise in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, but probably not in the way you think.

Cudmore bowed out of his role as Colossus and handed to part over to Stefan Kapičić in Deadpool. However, an Instagram exchange in July seemed to suggest that Cudmore was filming for X-Men: Dark Phoenix, leading to some speculation and confusion. Cudmore did not comment at the time.

Yesterday, when asked on Twitter about his role in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Cudmore tweeted back, “I can’t comment on what character I’m playing, sorry...”

I can't comment on what character I'm playing, sorry.. https://t.co/WSEJkVsm6Z — daniel cudmore (@danielcudmore) September 19, 2017

Even though Cudmore deflected the question, his response does seem to confirm that he is playing a character in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, it just may not be Colossus.

The fan who first tweeted Cudmore asked if he could be playing Gladiator, the leader of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. The original “Dark Phoenix Saga” does feature a showdown between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard on the moon, so it would make sense that Fox may be casting for Gladiator, who is the Guard's leader.

On the other hand, if Fox is casting the Imperial Guard, Cudmore may find the character Neutron to be a better fit. Neutron is another heavy hitter designed by Colossus co-creator Dave Cockrum. Colossus and Neutron share nearly identical silhouettes, so having Cudmore play both characters would be a fun kind of Easter egg for hardcore X-Men fans.

That said, this is all speculation for now. Fans have assumed that the Imperial Guard would appear in X-Men: Dark Phoenix because of their involvement in the comic book story and because it was believed that Jessica Chastain would be playing Shi’ar Imperial Majestrix Lilandra. However, Chastain has since denied that she’s playing Lilandra, and director Simon Kinberg’s comments about creating a more grounded version of the “Dark Phoenix Saga” have left some wondering if the Shi’ar will actually appear in the movie at all.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is currently filming in Montreal. The film opens in theaters on November 2, 2018.

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