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):
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
