After recent speculation, it has been confirmed that British actor Ben Hardy will play the role of Angel in the new X-Men film.

Rumours started when director Bryan Singer posted production art of the character Angel on Instagram. Hardy had been repeatedly linked to the superhero sequel and Singer finally responded on Thursday in an interview with Empire Magazine.

“Ben Hardy is Angel – I shall confirm it for you! But he’s not a very nice Angel! And that’s all I’ll say…”

The 24 year-old actor played Peter Beale in the British soap opera since 2013, but completed his final episode of the show in February earlier this year. Filming for X-Men: Apocalypse will begin towards the end of April in Toronto and will be released next year in May.

Hardy will join returning cast Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Even Peters, Rose Byrne and Oscar Isaac who will play the role of the villain Apocalypse, where the film receives its title. While Patrck Stewart has confirmed he will not be returning for another X-Men sequel, previous star Ian McKellen will appear and there have been hints that Hugh Jackman may return as Wolverine.

Hardy will not be alone in being a newcomer to the series, as it was announced in February that the cast will also include Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner (who plays Sansa Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones), Tye Sherdian and Alexandra Shipp. Unknown actress Lana Condor will also join the cast as Jubilation Lee, also known as Jubilee.

X-Men: Apocalypse Release Date: May 2016