Kevin Bacon is being lined-up for a role in X-Men: First Class.

The Footloose star is reportedly in negotiations with studio Twentieth Century Fox to play the chief villain in the forthcoming prequel, though no details about the exact nature of the character have been disclosed.

Kevin, who has an 18-year-old daughter Sosie and a 20-year-old son Travis with his actress wife Kyra Sedgwick, is the latest star to be linked to the project. The Matthew Vaughn-directed movie will follow the early friendship of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr as they struggle with their mutant abilities and set up a school for gifted youngsters.

British actor James McAvoy has signed up to play Professor Charles Xavier - the role played by Sir Patrick Stewart in the first three movies - while 33-year-old actor Michael Fassbender will portray Erik Lensherr, otherwise known as Magneto and originally played by Sir Ian McKellen. The movie will also feature actors Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee), Alice Eve (Emma Frost) and Lucas Till (Havoc).The film is expected to begin shooting next month.