‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’: 7 New Images And Film Details

With ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix‘ finally getting closer to release, the studio has been kind enough to release some new images for the film! These are some highly stunning visuals, including the very first one which features Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey starting to become Phoenix. It isn’t clear if the change in this scene is just promotional, in her mind, or actually happening. Either way, with the new shots we have also learned new details about the film! Death, aliens, space, so much has been confirmed while we still know so little of what to expect.

As this could potentially be the last X-Men series in the franchise if Disney does end up buying out Fox’s content, there is a lot riding on this to be not just a good film in itself, but a proper endcap to the series. While it is always possible that Disney could use the Infinity Gauntlet to bring everyone into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems unlikely that they wouldn’t just start rebooting the movies to better fit their own mold.

That being said, Fox’s mutant properties have been having diminishing returns outside of their R-Rated films so if the sale doesn’t happen this will be important to have a good run just to continue making the X-Men movies in their current style.

Let’s start taking a look, shall we? I’m going to kick things off with what is clearly the most stunning visual that has been shared:

In this one, we have director Simon Kinberg explaining why the post-production period took a full year on this film which is longer than prior X-Men films: “I wanted the post time to deliver on the nuance of the visual effects, not just the scale of them. That takes time.” If this first image was any indication, we’re going to be in for something visually spectacular.

Secondly, we have confirmation that the film will be in space! It is hard to tell if our mutants will be leaving the solar system, galaxy, or if Jean as Phoenix will wipe out an entire civilization, but you can tell from the shot of her front and center that something cosmic is going to be going on. We do know that the team is on a rescue mission and that a solar flare will hit the X-Jet and this is Jean using her powers to save everyone. The massive use though is what unlocks the Phoenix within her.

We still have no word if that means we’ll be seeing more action in space though.

Space or not, Jessica Chastain (‘Molly’s Game’) is described as “an otherworldly shapeshifter” who wants to use the Phoenix for her own goals. According to the actress, “Simon and I were talking about the character and I said, ‘I keep thinking of the vet who tells you need to put your dog down. There’s something very clinical about it.”

It sounds like the potential Skrull will have no regard for humanity and that sounds about right for an alien who wants to use Jean as nothing more than a weapon.

As to our Earth-based shapeshifter, Jennifer Lawrence has a new haircut in the film and according to the actress when she talks about Mystique: “She’s grown up a lot. She’s more maternal which surprised me. She starts to get more protective of the [school] children and Charles wants to push them to prove to the world that mutants can be good for humanity and I just see them as small children.”

Jean isn’t going to be rocking the Phoenix look for the full movie, though, and the duality of her personality, when inflicted with the Phoenix, sounds as if it will shine through her. As Turner states that: “So many scenes I have to go from broken-down Jean — that’s when she’s most susceptible to Phoenix infiltrating her — to this confident, arrogant, judgmental character within milliseconds.”

I’m actually quite glad that they seem to be including what is so key to who her character was.

With possibly galactic stakes in the works, this isn’t going to be a happy film. So far, we’re even getting confirmation of at least one death here. A few of the stars contracts are either up or about to be and some have been hesitant on saying if they’ll return. Could this be the grave of Mystique or Magneto that James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier, Kodi Smit-McPhee’s Nightcrawler, Tye Sheridan’s Cyclops, and Alexandra Shipp’s Storm are huddled around in the rain?

Lawrence wouldn’t share that detail but did say that: “I would call Dark Phoenix a drama. We have really great action scenes and we go to space like within the first five minutes of the movie. So it’s definitely exciting but emotionally all these characters are taking the biggest, most extreme dives than they have in the whole series.”

Whoever kicks the bucket here, I suspect it won’t be the only death which we see on screen.

Finally, in this behind-the-scenes shot, we have director Simon Kinberg talking with Michael Fassbender as Magneto. As to directing the film, he’d been on the fence but “Honestly, the person who most really wanted me to direct was Jen Lawrence. I give her credit or blame depending on how it goes.”

As this could be one of the final entries into the X-Men franchise as it currently stands, let’s hope that it goes well! Visually, I feel that they’ve captured what I would expect from the Phoenix in a way I didn’t think would happen if the first promotional shot does hold true.

Are you looking forward to ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’? Do you feel that they’ve done enough character building to make the emotional impact of Jean becoming the Phoenix so soon really pay off? Share your thoughts below True Believers!

Source: Entertainment Weekly