Oscar Isaac Follows Robert Downey Jr Road

With his artsy real dramatic actor credentials all sewn up after his Golden Globe winning performance in the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, Oscar Isaac has doubled down on more fantastic fare. The talented actor with a magnetic screen presence stars next in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens — which plans to awaken millions of sleepy moviegoers on December 18. Then Isaac continues his move away from Oscar material and into the deep public consciousness where the real performer’s satisfaction lies: he’s in a Marvel movie. Not only that — Isaac plays the title character.

The trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse just dropped (below), and the mutants must battle the biggest baddest-ass mutant ever, a true original, the original — yup, Apocalypse. That would be Oscar Issac beneath the metal, paint and the CGI. He may look a little like the Tin Man on steroids, and he’s equally heartless, but Apocalypse is no doubt a very well-oiled villain. The Juilliard-educated Oscar Isaac looks poised to travel, at least partly, the path Robert Downey, Jr. took — without all the messy drug trouble. RDJ was once a sucker for Oscar material too, but then decided to ride Iron Man to his place as the best-paid actor in Hollywood. Isaac looks like he’ll keep a foot in both worlds. He’s working now on The Promise with director Terry George, known for heavy stuff like Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father and Hart’s War.