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X-Men: Dark Phoenix is the upcoming sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse and will be the twelfth installment in the X-Men film series. The film is set during 1992 and deals with Jean Grey's descent into her unstable "Dark Phoenix" persona. It is slated to be released on November 2, 2018.[1].

Synopsis

Set in 1992, nine years after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, the X-Men have become a household name and a public sensation, and Dark Phoenix opens with the X-Men, including Mystique, Beast, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Quicksilver, in a new, unexpected role: national heroes. Charles Xavier even lands on the cover of Time magazine. But his growing ego puts the team at risk. Pride is starting to get the better of the Professor, and he encourages the X-Men to do more as superheroes by pushing them to more extreme missions. Unfortunately, after they’re dispatched to space for a rescue mission, a solar flare hits the X-Jet and the surge of energy ignites a malevolent, power-hungry new force within Jean Grey - the Phoenix. This aunaccounted-for accident greatly empowers Jean, but also causes her to loose control of herself and act irrationally. All the while, an alien shapeshifter seeks to use Jean for her own intentions, believing her to be "the Phoenix".[2]

Cast

Production

In May 2016, Kinberg said the next X-Men film will be set in the 1990s.[11] He also acknowledged the possibility of re-adapting "The Dark Phoenix Saga" for the new timeline, which had originally been a part of the first X-Men trilogy films,[12][13][14][15] and said the post-credits scene mentioning the Essex Corporation was related to Logan, and that it could have ties to Gambit as well as the following X-Men film.[16] It was reported that the film will be set in 1991 and will shoot under the title Teen Spirit.[17] Bryan Singer said he would be interested in having the villain Proteus in an X-Men film.[18] He also said he will be stepping away from the franchise but could envision returning to it at a later date in some capacity.[19]

On November 9, 2016, Kinberg announced to The Hollywood Reporter that the film series would start a soft reboot with him working on the a new script and having Lawrence, Fassbender, Hoult and McAvoy optimistically in mind.[20] The film will commence filming in May 2017 with the working title of X-Men: Supernova.[21][22]

In February 2017, McAvoy has dropped some hints on his return to the franchise and Collider reports that Kinberg is in talks to write and direct the next film.[23][24] Donner told Vanity Fair in a recent interview that the next film won't explore the Erik/Charles dynamic but will explore other characters.[25][26] It was announced that the film will start production from June to September of 2017.[27]

Kinberg said at the start of March 2017 that he and producer Hutch Parker had begun early prep on the film, and that "Supernova" was just a code name they had been using for the sequel. He said that they had begun discussing the story for the film during post-production on Apocalypse, and that they wanted to do "something bold and radical and expand the universe in the same way that Logan feels bold and radical and certainly Deadpool does as well."[28] A week following the release of Logan, Lana Condor, who played the mutant Jubilee in the film, shared a piece of fanart of her character on her Instagram account. In it, she proclaimed that she misses playing the character, and wants to "hang again soon". Through the caption is a relatively vague indication that Condor wants to reprise her role in Teen Spirit, it will certainly come as a welcomed piece of news for fans of Jubilee.[29]

In April, Fox officially titled the film Dark Phoenix, and gave it a release date of November 2, 2018.[30]

In May, Fassbender indicated that he would be returning for the film,[31] and Parker soon hinted that a young version of the character Rogue could appear, and that the film could possibly explore the cosmic elements of the "Dark Phoenix" storyline.[32][33]

In June 2017, the Shi'ar alien race was rumored to be featured in the film, and Angelina Jolie was being looked at for a role, though she was not expected to accept the part.[34][35] On June 14, it was confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, and Kodi Smit-McPhee will all reprise their roles, and the potential newcomer, Jessica Chastain, was in talks to play the film's villain, Lilandra Neramani, empress of the Shi'ar Empire.[36][37][38][39][40] During the same month, in Boston, the cast members of Josh Boone's New Mutants have also started to bond ahead of their production start date on July 10.[41] On June 23, it was reported by Entertainment Weekly that the light-emitting pop star mutant, Dazzler will appear, but only in a small role after being hinted at in a scene that was ultimately deleted from Apocalypse and there is no plan at the moment to have Taylor Swift play her.[10][42][43] Before the end of the month, Evan Peters was confirmed to be returning to reprise his role as Quicksilver, and Lamar Johnson would also be joining the film as well in an unspecified role.[5] Principal photography began on June 28, 2017, in Montreal, under the working title Teen Spirit.

On July 14, along with Tye Sheridan reprising his role as Cyclops from X-Men: Apocalypse, a new set photo reveals him donning a new visor for his character. Sheridan's new look has been noted to closely resemble James Marsden's portrayal of Cyclops from the original X-Men films.[44][45] During the same month, it was heavily speculated that Olivia Munn would be reprising her role as Psylocke for X-Men: Dark Phoenix. With principal photography on Dark Phoenix expected to get underway within the month, the implication is that Munn will either have a larger role to play this time around and/or is filming her scenes in the next X-Men movie earlier during production.[46] While promoting The LEGO Ninjago Movie at San Diego Comic-Con, Munn was vague about her future with the X-Men film franchise during an interview on MTV news. Though unclear, Munn's vagueness implies that she's considering returning for X-Men: Dark Phoenix. During the interview, she revealed that her character's big fight scene with Beast was only 25 percent of it's original length, as well as revealing her plans to make her own special director's cut of the said film.[47] During in the month, Summer Fontana, from Basic Witches and The Originals, had posted a photo from Montreal to her Twitter account. Although the caption of the picture says nothing specific about taking part in the X-Men film, this seems telling because X-Men: Dark Phoenix is shooting in the Canadian city.[48]At the end of the month, it was announced that Summer Fontana was cast to portray young Jean Grey for X-Men: Dark Phoenix.[49][50]

At the beginning of August, Jessica Chastain confirmed via an Instagram post that she has joined the cast of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and is heading to Montreal for filming.[51] She was interested in the story, after turning down roles in other superhero films, due to its focus on female characters. Following Jessica Chastain's confirmation, on August 7, it was reported that According to That Hashtag Show, Kota Eberhardt has joined the production as "Luna" - with speculation pointing to either Hellfire Club member Selene, or Layla Miller. In addition, Scott Sheperd is also said to have been cast in the role of Jean Grey's father. In the same report, Evan Jonigkeit and Gregg Lowe are returning to reprise their respective roles as Toad and Ink from Days of Future Past.[52][53] Later towards the end of that month, Kinberg stated that he wanted the film to be "human" and emotional like the previous X-Men films, and that he was looking to ground the "Dark Phoenix Saga" story for his adaptation "so it’s not too intergalactic".[54]

In early September, Jessica Chastain revealed that she wouldn't be portraying Lilandra Neramani for the film, leaving her role undisclosed.[55] Later on in the month, Daniel Cudmore had confirmed that he would be appearing in the film, but could not confirm whether he would be reprising his role of Colossus from previous films in the franchise or if he would be portraying a new character.[9] On September 26, 2017, in an interview with Collider, Olivia Munn confirmed that she would be reprising her role of Psylocke in the film, and described Dark Phoenix as "a two parter".[6][56] Filming was completed in Montreal on October 14, 2017.[57]

Towards the end of November, Simon Kinberg, revealed his plans to show how powerful Jean Grey’s Phoenix persona can be, and is willing to do it at the expense of one of the actors who has been with the franchise since the "X-Men: First Class": Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, James McAvoy’s Professor X, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, and Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, all of whom are returning for X-Men: Dark Phoenix. It was announced that Kinberg is holding nothing back and that in a moment when Jean’s powers are on full display, they will become too much for the hero to handle. At that point, with her powers out of control, Jean will impale one of the characters mentioned above, unequivocally killing that character.[58][59]

On December 7, Kinberg revealed that the film would be in post-production for almost a year, longer than usual for the series, because he wanted to take the time to get the visual effects right by focusing on the "nuance" of the effects rather than the scale.[60] He also explained that he "felt in his gut" that this was the story that he needed to tell once Singer left the franchise, and that his vision for the film was "so clear in my head, emotionally and visually, that it would have killed me to hand this to somebody else to direct". On the same day, Entertainment Weekly released the cover of its Dec. 15/22 "First Look Issue", and confirmed the official synopsis for Dark Phoenix, as well as the year that the film’s setting will be taking place in 1992.[2][61] Entertainment Weekly also revealed new images of the film, as well as more information on the role that Jessica Chastain will have in the film. Chastain was originally reported to portray Lilandra Neramani, but Entertainment Weekly doesn’t reveal her character’s name, and only says that the actress will play "an otherworldly shapeshifter".[62] The film was described as being the most sinister and somber of the franchise, with McAvoy finding it to be the most emotional of the X-Men films he had worked on. It becomes a "fight for Jean’s soul" and features a twist that was intended to have significant repercussions on the entire franchise. Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she had worked to convince Kinberg to direct the film, and had promised to return for it if he did so, despite her dislike of the make-up required to portray her character.[63]

In pitching the film to the studio, Kinberg used real world imagery such as disaster footage or lightning strikes, and focused on an organic and relevant approach as a response to criticisms of Apocalypse's heightened reality[64] On December 9, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the film will also feature a version of the iconic, mutant-friendly Island of Genosha, adapted to the film as a mutant refuge led by Magneto.[65] Afterwards, the cast and crew of X-Men: Dark Phoenix revealed that the film will be a tribute to its female superheroes, focusing on the female characters more so than previous films in the series, particularly Jean Grey as both the hero and villain of the film, and Chastain's character with whom Grey has a complex relationship.[66][67][68]

At the beginning of January 2018, the alias of the character that Jessica Chastain will be portraying was confirmed to be "Smith".[69]

References

  1. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT X-MEN’S DARK PHOENIX SAGA
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 X-Men: Dark Phoenix Entertainment Weekly Cover
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Dark Phoenix Cast Confirmed
  4. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Casts Summer Fontana As Young Jean Grey
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix': Evan Peters Returning as Quicksilver (Exclusive)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Olivia Munn on ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’ & Returning for ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’
  7. Jessica Chastain’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix character name revealed
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Exclusive: 'X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX' Adds Kota Eberhardt & Scott Sheperd; Also Returning Characters
  9. 9.0 9.1 [1]
  10. 10.0 10.1 Dark Phoenix: Dazzler will appear in the upcoming X-Men film
  11. Simon Kinberg Confirms the Next X-Men Movie Will be Set in the ’90s
  12. Rebooting The Dark Phoenix Saga? Here's What Simon Kinberg Says
  13. Exclusive: The Next X-Men Film Post ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’
  14. Fox's X-Men Issues: Jennifer Lawrence Unsigned, 'Deadpool' Defections, 'Gambit' on Hold
  15. LRM Hot Rumor: X-MEN REBOOT To Finally Let The DARK PHOENIX Fly
  16. X-Men: Apocalypse Post-Credits Scene Teased
  17. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Takes Place in the Early 1990s
  18. X-Men: Bryan Singer Wants to See Proteus in a Future Movie
  19. 'X-Men' director Bryan Singer reveals how he built the 'Apocalypse'
  20. Fox's X-Men Issues: Jennifer Lawrence Unsigned, 'Deadpool' Defections, 'Gambit' on Hold
  21. RUMOR: ‘X-Men: Supernova’ Might Be Real and Shooting In Montreal This May Too
  22. ‘X-Men: Supernova’ Production Title Confirming It Takes Place During 1991-1992?
  23. James McAvoy Drops Hint About New X-Men Project
  24. Exclusive: Simon Kinberg in Talks to Write and Direct the Next ‘X-Men’ Movie
  25. The Woman Behind the X-Men Reveals How the Mutants Got Their Groove Back
  26. Interview: ‘Logan’ Producers on Saying Goodbye to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the Future of ‘X-Men’
  27. CONFIRMED: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Sequel ‘Teen Spirit’ Shooting From June-October In Montreal
  28. Interview: ‘Logan’ Producers on Saying Goodbye to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the Future of ‘X-Men
  29. X-Men's Lana Condor Would Like To Revisit Jubilee Once More
  30. [2]
  31. [3]
  32. Two Major X-Men Characters Who Will Likely Be In Dark Phoenix
  33. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Going Cosmic ‘Certainly a Possibility’
  34. X-Men: Dark Phoenix could bring us some classic Marvel aliens, the Shi'ar
  35. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Casting Rumors Include Jolie, Chastain
  36. New X-Men Movie's Main Cast And Director Confirmed
  37. Fox Formalizes Simon Kinberg To Helm ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’; Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy Back, Jessica Chastain In Talks
  38. Jessica Chastain in Talks to Play Villain in 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'
  39. ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ gets a director, Jessica Chastain in talks for villain role
  40. X-Men: Dark Phoenix will reunite cast with potential newcomer Jessica Chastain
  41. X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX And NEW MUTANTS Cast Members Begin To Bond Ahead Of Filming Start Dates
  42. Justin Trudeau Meets the X-Men: Dark Phoenix Cast!
  43. Dazzler Will Appear in 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'
  44. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Set Photo Reveals A New Look For Cyclops
  45. New X-Men: Dark Phoenix Set Photo Reveals Possible New Cyclops Visor
  46. X-Men: Olivia Munn May Be Reprising Psylocke for Dark Phoenix
  47. OLIVIA MUNN IS PROBABLY REPRISING PSYLOCKE IN X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
  48. [4]
  49. Casting Young Jean Grey Means The Phoenix Force May Finally Be Introduced In 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'
  50. X-Men: Dark Phoenix has found its young Jean Grey and it's another breakout TV star
  51. Jessica Chastain Confirms Villainous X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX Role
  52. X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX Reportedly Adds Kota Eberhardt And Scott Sheperd; Toad And Ink Set To Return
  53. New X-Men: Dark Phoenix Castings Tease Major Story Details
  54. Director Simon Kinberg on making X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX more grounded than the comics
  55. Jessics Chastain Says She Isn't Lilandra In X-Men: Dark Pheonix
  56. Another X-Men star appears to confirm they're returning for Dark Phoenix
  57. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Director Announces Filming Has Wrapped
  58. [5]
  59. X-Men: Dark Phoenix to Kill Off Major Character?
  60. Dark Phoenix: Your first look at 2018's incendiary X-Men movie
  61. Sophie Turner Is on Fire in X-Men: Dark Phoenix First Look
  62. First ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Images Reveal Jessica Chastain and a New Look for Mystique
  63. Jennifer Lawrence on returning to the X-Men series: 'I kinda f---ed myself'
  64. Dark Phoenix team on what went wrong with X-Men: Apocalypse
  65. Dark Phoenix: Magneto's mutant island Genosha will appear in new X-Men film
  66. Dark Phoenix team says film is a tribute to the X-Women
  67. X-Men: Dark Phoenix is a tribute to the X-Women, the cast say
  68. X-Men: Dark Phoenix is Tribute to X-Women, Female Strength
  69. Death and destruction loom large in these new X-Men: Dark Phoenix images (plus, Jessica Chastain's villain revealed)
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