From the moment Saïd Taghmaoui signed on to star opposite Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman, the DC faithful cobbled together to draw up nine kinds of fan theories on who Taghmaoui would play in the Patty Jenkins-directed triumph.
It was only when Wonder Woman was ready to hit theaters that budding viewers identified Taghmaoui’s to be Sameer, a French Moroccan secret agent and master of disguise. But it seems the actor’s time in Hollywood’s comic book universe is far from over.
At San Diego Comic-Con yesterday, Fox confirmed that Saïd Taghmaoui will appear in Legion season 2 as Amal Farouk. Better known to you, I, and the patients of Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital as the Shadow King, Farouk spent much of the show’s inaugural season infesting the mind of David Haller (Dan Stevens). Once earmarked for an appearance in the X-Men movies (more on that later), Taghmaoui will reportedly play the cool, smooth-talking incarnation of Amal Faourk, who will band together with Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) and Jemaine Clement to put David through his paces.
And make no mistake, viewers will get their money’s worth when it comes to Legion’s second season, after Hawley told SDCC attendees:
We’ll get our money’s worth out of every character on the show. I do believe that the more you shift the point of view, the more empathy you build for the characters who are supposed to be villains.
The Shadow King, meanwhile, was once considered for Fox’s cinematic universe, which would have adapted the famous battle between Amal Farouk and Professor X. Here’s what producer Lauren Shuler Donner had to share, via Empire:
I thought it was a wonderful idea, one we had a little bit discussed in the movies, but decided not to pursue at the times. I thought this was a wonderful way to explore it.
The subversive second season of Legion ought to be with us in 2018. Hawley, meanwhile, is developing a live-action Doctor Doom movie for 20th Century Fox.
