‘Legion’ Needs a New Shadow King After ‘Wonder Woman’ Star’s Exit

Marvel’s FX Legion promised to take us deeper into the enigmatic Shadow King’s past with Season 2, but it seems Said Taghmaoui won’t be the one to guide us. The Wonder Woman star was previously cast as a new version of Season 1 big bad Amahl Farouk, but has mysteriously exited production ahead of schedule.

According to Variety, FX confirms that Taghmaoui left the production at some point after shooting began in September, though it remains unclear how many scenes the actor had shot, and why the sudden recast was necessary. Taghmaoui also appeared to confirm his departure over Twitter, stating:

Showrunner Noah Hawley had announced that Taghmaoui would play the role at Comic-Con 2017. The character took several forms in Season 1, including a “yellow-eyed demon” and Aubrey Plaza’s “Lenny,” but the nature of Taghmaoui’s version wasn’t clarified. Here’s how the role was described:

A villain with a thousand faces. In his real form, he is always nattily dressed. Dapper with a thin Clark Gable-style mustache. His eyes forever hidden behind a pair of ornate sunglasses. He was hip long before there was such an idea. He can seductively hold court on any topic and in any language, but his true passion lies in the singular timeless notion of power and amassing as much of it as possible.

It is rumored he is the spawn of the first nightmare, which is fitting because fear is his weapon of choice in exposing weakness in others. To Farouk, fear equals weakness and he fears nothing. Which is why he takes such delight in seeing others squirm — a reminder he is more powerful than them.

Elsewhere of the ten-episode Season 2, we last saw David (Dan Stevens) abducted into a mysterious orb that might be the “Equinox” mentioned by Division 3. Hawley also previously spoke to the possibility of seeing Professor X in Season 2, saying “I don’t know yet what that would be. It depends on who would do it. If we reach that part of the story, is it funnier if it’s the young or the old one? It could be great if you’re older than your dad.”

We’ll likely hear more from Legion Season 2 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

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