Chloe Moretz, Hailee Steinfeld and Elle Fanning may have to fight it out to land the role of Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse.

The young actresses are said to be being considered for a more junior version of the character, according to The Wrap.

Chloe and Elle are said to have met director Bryan Singer about appearing in the franchise’s next instalment in recent weeks, and the younger version of Jean is expected to recur in future films.

Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning (PA)

Meanwhile, Bryan is also reported to be considering Ben Hardy, Charlie Rowe and Timothee Chalamet for the role of young Cyclops, who forms an on-off couple with Jean in the X-Men universe.

In previous films, Famke Janssen has played an older version of Jean and James Marsden has been seen as Cyclops. Haley Ramm was a younger Jean in X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tim Pocock was Cyclops in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (PA)

A younger actor will also be brought in to play Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse – a character played by Halle Berry in earlier films.

Chloe is currently filming the first in a series of adaptations of Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave novels, Hailee is set to star in Pitch Perfect 2 and Elle has recently finished biopic Trumbo with Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren.

X-Men: Apocalypse is due to be released in cinemas on May 19, 2016.