When the initial casting information started to surface forX-Men: Dark Phoenix, there was one bummer of an absence. While it’s pleasantly surprising to see thatJames McAvoy,Jennifer Lawrence,Michael Fassbender, andNicholas Houltare re-upping their contracts to return for theX-Men: Apocalypsesequel, one of the best parts of this new iteration of the franchise—Evan Peters’ Quicksilver—was not mentioned. It was unclear if Peters had a schedule conflict withAmerican Horror Storyor what, but his name was not in those initial reports.
There’s no reason to fret, however, asTHRnow confirms that Peters will indeed be reprising his role as Quicksilver inDark Phoenix, while adding thatThe Next StepactorLamar Johnsonis joining the film in a role that’s currently being kept under wraps. Peters’ Quicksilver was actually the butt of a joke before his debut inX-Men: Days of Future Past, as many peggedAaron Taylor-Johnson’s impending turn as the same character inAvengers: Age of Ultronas the better bet. But when we saw both films we realized that Peters was doing somethingreallyspecial with the character, while directorBryan Singerhad devised a complicated sequence that showed off Quicksilver’s full powers.
Quicksilver had the standout scene in bothDays of Future PastandApocalypse, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s put to use inDark Phoenix. If they keep the timeline of these last two films and jump to the 90s, there’s plenty of opportunities for a great needledrop—“The Power”, anyone? The sequel is marking the directorial debut ofX-Menwriter/producerSimon Kinberg, who’s cutting his teeth on a massive film with a daunting cast. In addition to the aforementioned performers,Tye Sheridan,Sophie Turner,Alexandra Shipp, andKodi Smit-McPheewill all be returning after making their debuts inApocalypseas Cylcops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler, respectively.Jessica Chastainis also said to be in talksto play the film’s villain, Lilandra, but it doesn’t sound like that deal has closed yet so it’s possible someone else ends up filling that role.
Production onX-Men: Dark Phoenixbegins in Montreal this week, so we should be hearing more about the film soon. I’m especially curious to find out who’s serving as Kinbeg’s cinematographer. The film is slated for release on June 07, 2025.
