(Cover) - EN Showbiz - January Jones has joined the X-Men film franchise.

The 32-year-old actress has signed on to play Emma Frost, a sexy mutant villain with telepathic skills, in upcoming comic book adaptation X-Men: First Class. Fox announced January had been cast in the role yesterday.

The studio had originally wanted Sex and the City beauty Alice Eve for the role, but chose January after negotiations with Alice fell through. Tahyna Tozzi portrayed the young Emma in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but was never linked to the role in the new film.

January is most famous for her starring role in US TV series Mad Men. She also appeared in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, American Wedding and Love Actually.

Zoe Kravitz, Bill Milner and Morgan Lily have also reportedly been cast in X-Men: First Class, and will play Angel, a younger version of Magneto, and a younger version of Raven respectively.

The new film will also James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee, Lucas Till as Havoc, Edi Gathegi as Darwin, Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggart and Jason Flemyng as Azazel.

Kevin Bacon has also signed on to play a mystery villain. (C) Cover Media