X-Men: Dark Phoenix just got a release date, cast, director, AND a potential villain

It’s not like Fox to do things by halves. They’ve fired out a whole bunch of X-Men: Dark Phoenix info, including the release date, who’s directing, which mutants will be returning, and who might be playing the villain Empress Lilandra.

Now, there’s a lot to take in, so let’s get the simple stuff out of the way. Deadline are reporting that November 2, 2018 will be when you can feast your eyes on the next X-Men movie, with first-time director Simon Kinberg (previously best known for producing Deadpool, Logan, and the recent X-Men movies) will be in charge.

As for who is returning, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Sophie Turner, and Nicholas Hoult are the big names returning and, hey, look, James McAvoy has even been teasing us on Instagram (I’ll ignore his spelling of Professor):

So I hear we're doing another X-men...wake me up when it's time to roll would you Chastain?🤞 #xmen #xmendarkphoenix #proffesorx #charlesxavier #whenihadhair #superpowernap
A photo posted by @jamesmcavoyrealdeal on Jun 14, 2017 at 10:31pm PDT

You might have noticed he mentioned a ‘Chastain’, as in Interstellar’s Jessica Chastain. She’s in talks to play the villain Empress Lilandra who was once married to Professor X in the comics. She also rules the Shi’ar race, so it seems the X-Men might be spacebound for the first time in their movie history.

Magneto, Jean Grey, Charles, and Mystique returning? Check. Interesting villain (and actress) with unique ties to a major character? Check. A fresh take on the X-Men universe with a new director? Check. And, best of all, it’s less than 18 months away. Hopefully this is a return to form for the franchise, and not another big fat X on its blotter.

Image: Fox

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.