This 'X-Men: New Mutants' News Is So Exciting

The X-Men cinematic universe is about to get a serious boost from a young and inclusive cast chosen for X-Men: New Mutants. Casting announcements for the film have been steadily trickling out for a few weeks now, but the most recent addition to New Mutants, actor Blu Hunt, brings Native American representation on the big screen front and center. Hunt may be a relative unknown, but there's no doubt that she will be making a mark in more than one way with her New Mutants gig.

The news broke late Friday June 2 that Hunt is joining New Mutants as Danielle Moonstar. A newcomer in comparison to her other New Mutants castmates, Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams, Hunt will undoubtedly conjure plenty of curiosity and excitement from the general public when she appears in the film. Before joining New Mutants, Hunt's biggest gig was appearing in The Originals, as The Hollow, and two other TV shows. New Mutants will imaginably give her a massive visibility boost.

The visibility will also link directly to her role in Native American representation in New Mutants. Even if Hunt does not comment on it, the fact that her character is a Native American woman and she, a Native American woman herself, is playing Danielle Moonstar, is very cool and badly needed. According to Variety, her casting is in line with earlier reports that the movie's team was seeking to find actors that were racially or ethnically appropriate to the respective New Mutants characters in a push for inclusivity.

With a growing focus both inside and outside the film industry on racial inclusivity, the casting practice for New Mutants is just one of the many reasons to get excited about the movie (don't forget: this is going to be a horror film, too). Hunt's casting means that a younger generation of filmgoers will get to see a Native American woman in the realm of superheroes and in the real world. They'll know that Native American women can find success and representation on screen. Of course, it's just a small step forward, but it's still a much-needed step in the right direction.

Hunt's casting is exciting for a number of reasons, and it leaves me all the more curious about how New Mutants will come together.