Despite the unfavorable reviews and moderate box-office results of ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ 20th Century Fox is still moving full-steam ahead with the next installment of their mighty main ‘X-Men’ saga, which is most likely due to the wild success of their other ‘X-Men’ films that came out following ‘Apocalypse,’ ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Logan,’ which did exceedingly well for the studio. So it is no surprise that in 2018 we will be getting ‘Deadpool 2,’New Mutants,’ and ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix,’ which will pick up where ‘Apocalypse’ left off, and attempt to finally bring the story of Jean Grey becoming the Dark Phoenix to the big screen, at least according to writer/director Simon Kinberg (a man who has been involved in almost every ‘X-Men’ film to date.)
Recently, we have gotten news that Jessica Chastain will be joining the cast as a major villain in the film, with early reports suggesting that she will be playing Shi’ar empress Lilandra Neramani (who is also a love interest depending on your point of view, as she and Charles Xavier have a special bond), who in the comics is on a mission to imprison and destroy the Dark Phoenix before she can take any more lives in the universe. Of course, nothing has been officially announced yet, especially not the specifics of who she will be playing, but a recent Instagram post made by Chastain pretty much confirms she will be in the film, and hints that her role will be particularly close to Jame McAvoy’s Charles Xavier:
With other recent rumors speaking about Magneto’s role in ‘Dark Phoenix,’ which includes his leadership of the Acolytes and founding of Geonosis, it does sound like they are trying to pack a lot into this film, which could prove problematic unless Kinberg has a good story that manages to tie it all together. For now, I suppose we will have to wait and see what they have in store for us. ‘Apocalypse’ had some issues, but as I’ve stated before, some of those problems could have been the indulgences of Bryan Singer as it was his final ‘X-Men’ film and he tried too hard to leave an impression. Perhaps with Kinberg directing, things are finally back on track.
What do you think? Share your opinions down in the comments below!
