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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Jennifer Lawrence, who's been getting rave reviews for her work in "Winter's Bone," has been cast in the "X-Men" movie as Mystique, a role played by Rebecca Romijn in the first trilogy.

Fox has been furiously casting "X-Men: First Class," which focuses on Marvel's superpowered team X-Men in a younger incarnation. James McAvoy will play Professor Charles Xavier, and Michael Fassbender is portraying Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto. Those roles were originated, respectively, by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.

Nicholas Hoult, Alice Eve, and Caleb Landry Jones are among those playing mutants looking for mentor figures and teachers to guide them with their powers. Kevin Bacon is playing the villain, whose identity has not been revealed, as the studio keeps plot details under lock and key.

Mystique is a shapeshifter who can mimic other people, though she cannot replicate superpowers. In comics lore, she was revealed to be the mother of X-Man Nightcrawler.

The movie is rolling toward a late summer start in London. Matthew Vaughn will direct.

The role is a big jump in terms of exposure for Lawrence, who is generating early awards buzz for "Winter's Bone," and also marks her first studio feature. The actress is about to star in "The House at the End of the Street," a thriller that begins production in Ottawa in August, and will then segue to England for "X-Men."

The actress also appears in "The Beaver," the Jodie Foster-directed movie starring Mel Gibson.