Rebecca Romijn

The stars were larger than life when they hit the red carpet for the new high-tech horror, Piranha 3D. PHOTOS: Red Carpet Radar: Piranha 3D Premiere One of Hollywood

Superhero film has been a revolving door of writers, directors and actors.By Eric Ditzian "X-Men: First Class" Photo: Marvel "X-Men: First Class" is gathering a hefty ensemble of mutants and villains. There have been so many casting rumors and announcements that it's gotten hard to keep track of everything, and director Matthew Vaughn even had to reassure us that the flick wouldn't get too crowded with characters. "In terms of having a lot of mutants, it doesn't feel that busy," he said. "I don't feel worried about it. I think it will be really cool to see all these guys doing their stuff." Vaughn has already handled an ensemble of superheroes and villains in "Kick-Ass," so we trust him on this one. Still, there's a lot to remember. The latest casting developments arrived Tuesday, when word broke that a slew of actors had signed on to "First Class," including January Jones ("Mad Men") in the role of telepathic mutant Emma Frost. As the cast continues to grow, we've gathered everything there is to know so far about "X-Men: First Class." November 19, 2008: 20th Century Fox taps "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz to pen the "First Class" script. February 10, 2009: Despite speculation that Schwartz would also hop into the director's chair, he tells MTV News he won't be helming the flick. April 15, 2009: Producer Lauren Shuler Donner reveals that among the characters to be featured in "First Class" will be young versions of Cyclops, Beast and Jean Grey. August 21, 2009: Bryan Singer, who directed two previous "X-Men" films, is said to be "flirting" with the idea of directing "First Class." December 17, 2009: Singer signs on to direct. December 18, 2009: Schwartz's "First Class" draft gets tossed, and Fox hires Jamie Moss ("Ghost in the Shell") to pen a script based on Singer's treatment. The studio is said to be moving "aggressively" with development. March 21, 2010: News breaks that Singer is ditching directing duties, though he'll remain on the project as a producer. May 5, 2010: "Kick-Ass" director Matthew Vaughn signs on to direct. Fox announces the film will hit theaters on June 3, 2011. May 28, 2010: James McAvoy agrees to play young Professor Charles Xavier. The story will reportedly follow the early days of the partnership between Professor X and Magneto as they train the first generation of mutants before a violent rift developed between them. June 18, 2010: Michael Fassbender enters talks to play Magneto, and Benjamin Walker joins up as Hank "Beast" McCoy. June 28, 2010: Rumor has it that Alice Eve is in negotiations to play Emma Frost. July 8, 2010: Nicholas Hoult replaces Walker in the Beast role, and Caleb Landry Jones lands the part of Banshee. Beast was previously played by Kelsey Grammer in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand." July 15, 2010: Kevin Bacon finalizes his deal to play the central villain. Jennifer Lawrence is booked for the role of Mystique (previously played by Rebecca Romijn). July 28, 2010: "Twilight" star Edi Gathegi will play Darwin. August 16, 2010: Jason Flemyng is in talks to play Azazel, the demonic mutant father of Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner. Oliver Platt will play the Man in Black, a non-mutant character. August 17, 2010: January Jones steps into the role of Frost. Zoe Kravitz will play Angel, Bill Milner will be the young Magneto (Fassbender will play the older version) and Morgan Lily will become the young Raven. Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class." For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Related Photos Meet The Cast Of 'X-Men: First Class'