Last week we got our first look at X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the next – and possibly final, following Disney’s takeover of Fox – instalment of the X-Men franchise, and now we have some further details on the film thanks to writer-director Simon Kinberg, who has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the movie will see a heavy focus on its female characters.
“I really wanted to acknowledge the strength of the women in the comic and in the actresses that we have and the central storyline demands it,” said Kinberg, with the outlet going on to note that “at one point, Mystique actually jokes to Charles that the group should be renamed the ‘X-Women’ due to how often the female characters save the male ones.”
Jean Grey actress Sophie Turner also elaborated on Kinberg’s comments, adding: “It’s really exciting. I think there’s such a revolution in superhero movies. I feel like this movie is a revelation because of it being like a drama but the hero is a female and she’s also the villain. It really is about her relationships with the females in the film, especially Jessica Chastain’s character. It’s really interesting to have those two characters be kind of the two biggest characters in the movie and both be female and so layered and so complex.”
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And speaking of Jessica Chastain, the actress also went on to discuss what drew her to the project, stating: “I’ve always wanted to do a big comic book franchise-y film but I had some issues with the female characters in the films I was being offered. I was really pleased with this script because I think it’s a departure from the norm. This definitely passes the Bechdel test and I don’t know how many comic book films can say that.”
After the X-Men team is 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 – the Phoenix.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix is set for release on November 2nd, 2018. Simon Kinberg is directing a cast that includes franchise veterans Michael Fassbender (Magneto), James McAvoy (Professor X), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler) and Evan Peters (Quicksilver) alongside new additions Jessica Chastain and Lamar Johnson.
