After hosting a Crystal Maze Celeb special for charity on Channel 4 over the weekend, it would seem Merchant is keeping the bald look, this time for the big screen.

Merchant, best-known for his work with Ricky Gervais on The Office, Extras and Life’s Too Short, is placing comedy to the side as he is due to play a seemingly more serious character in Logan, the new Wolverine film.

A picture of Merchant was posted by the film’s director, James Mangold, and in it the actor appears pale. Fans of the X-Men series have postulated what mutant the actor could be playing with many believing it to be Caliban, who has close ties to Mister Sinister.

Caliban recently appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse, in which he was played by Tomas Lemarquis, but this could be a different incarnation of the character (given the time difference between the X-Men instalments). Caliban’s primary mutant ability is sensing and tracking others of his kind. He is also capable of channelling the emotions of people around him to enhance his strength.

Merchant also posted a teaser image, in which he dons a cowboy hat.

 

How I spent my summer

A photo posted by Stephen Merchant (@stephenmerchant) on

While some fans believe he will play a villain in the film, others believe he will serve as an ally to Wolverine and Professor Xavier.

Logan opens in theatres on March 3, 2017.