“Arya Stark” actress Maisie Williams to portray “Wolfsbane” in New Mutants film

As reported by AV Club and other news sources last week, Maisie Williams – widely known for her portrayal of Arya Stark on Game of Thrones – has been signed to portray Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair in the upcoming X-Men spin-off film The New Mutants.

Writes William Hughes for AV Club:

As her name suggests, Wolfsbane’s mutant power is basically that she’s a werewolf, something Williams should be accustomed to after several years as the frequently feral Arya Stark.

Williams made her acting debut on Game of Thrones and her work has made Arya my favourite character on the show so far (I’ve only seen up to the end of season 4, no spoilers).

According to Marvel canon, Wolfsbane isn’t an actual werewolf, but only because her lycanthropy comes from “being a mutant” instead of “being magically cursed”. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, as far as this description of her abilities goes:

Wolfsbane is a mutant with the ability to transform herself into a wolf at will, while retaining her human intelligence, or into a transitional form which combines human and lupine aspects; while this ability is lycanthropy, it is not magical in nature, but a complex biological function involving the mutant X-gene. She can change into a humanoid lupine form resembling a werewolf, or become an actual red wolf.

Friends, I’ll take it.

It’s still early days in the production schedule for The New Mutants, so there’s no release date yet, but this might be one I go see in theatres when it comes out. Thanks to Joseph M. Santi for the link!