The actor recently signed on to star as Henry "Hank" McCoy in "X-Men: First Class," the upcoming prequel to the popular "X-Men" movie franchise. According to MTV.com, production is set to begin on the film in the next few months, under the direction of Matthew Vaughan, with a release date scheduled for June 3, 2011.

In the film prequel, Walker will co-star with James McAvoy ("Atonement," Olivier Award nominee for Three Days of Rain in London) as Professor Charles Xavier. Michael Fassbender ("Inglorious Basterds") is reportedly in negotiations to play Erik "Magneto" Lansherr.

Walker's character is a mutant scientist who will become the superhero known as "Beast"; 2010 Tony nominee Kelsey Grammer played the part in the original film trilogy's third installment, "X-Men: The Last Stand."

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is reportedly eyeing a Broadway transfer, and Walker's casting in the "X-Men" film may affect his availability if the transfer happens. Plans for both the transfer and Walker's schedule are unconfirmed, but last week, when Walker's casting in the "X-Men" film was rumored but not officially set, the Public's artistic director, Oskar Eustis, told the New York Times, "We are still actively pursuing all possibilities for the future of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and are very optimistic things will work out. We can't confirm anything about Ben's plans but we're certainly sure he's a star and it would be nothing but to the credit of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson if the rest of the world caught on."

Walker has appeared on Broadway in Les Liasons Dangereuses and Inherit the Wind, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Windermere's Fan and on screen in "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Kinsey." He is a graduate of the Juilliard School.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is scheduled to run through June 27 at the Public.