The new "X-Men: Apocalypse" cast is shaping up in a rather extraordinary way, what with "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner leading the way as Jean Grey, among others. But one of the most exciting cast announcements came up last night, when director Bryan Singer declared that Kodi Smit-McPhee is coming aboard to play Nightcrawler:

You remember Nightcrawler, don't you? He was the coolest character by far in "X2: X-Men United," considered by many fans to be the best "X-Men" movie of them all.

In "X2," veteran actor Alan Cumming played Kurt Wagner, who famously declared his nickname as "the incredible Nightcrawler." Blue-skinned, three-fingered and tailed, Kurt sports the incredible super-power of teleportation, yielding one of the coolest action scenes in "X-Men" history:

With "Apocalypse," Cumming is out of the running, and Kodi Smit-McPhee is taking his place. Even if you don't recognize his name, surely you know Kodi's work. He was in last summer's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" as Alexander, Malcolm's teenage son, and also starred opposite Chloe Moretz in "Let Me In," the 2010 vampire thriller:

Kodi's come a long way since then, literally: He was a tiny kid when he first came onto the scene, and now he's a tall and lean young man of 18 years, going on 19 in June. In other words, it's totally appropriate to start crushing on Mr. Smit-McPhee right now.

Not that you'll be able to help it, either. Not only is Smit-McPhee a fantastic young actor (he just barely missed my short-list of actors Marvel should consider for the new Spider-Man), but he's playing one of the most romantic characters in X-Men lore. With his thick German accent, his readiness with romantic quotes, and his swashbuckling spirit of adventure, Kurt Wagner is one of the most fun, free-spirited X-Men of them all — and that's something we'll desperately need in a movie called "Apocalypse."

"X-Men: Apocalypse" arrives on May 27, 2016.