Hot on the heels of the first details regarding the upcoming sequelX-Men: Dark Phoenixhitting this morning comes the very first images from the film. Writer/producerSimon Kinberg, a longtime staple of theX-Menfranchise, steps into the director’s chair for the first time on this film, revealing to EW that it wasJennifer Lawrencewho most pushed him to make the jump to directing. Kinberg also wrote the script, and this follow-up adapts the famous Dark Phoenix Saga comics arc, which Kinberg first took a crack at inX-Men: The Last Stand.
This time around, however, Kinberg appears to have more creative freedom, as the film ventures to space within its opening minutes. There,Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey is hit by a solar flare that awakens the Phoenix and ignites a conflict that plays out through the rest of the movie. A “major twist” occurs halfway through the film, and indeed here we see a funeral attended by Charles (James McAvoy), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPHee), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), and Storm (Alexandra Shipp), so who dies? My bet is on either Lawrence’s Mystique orNicholas Hoult’s Beast, both of whom would have a major impact given that they’ve been with the franchise sinceX-Men: First Class, as opposed to killing off some newish character audiences aren’t exactly attached to just yet.
Additionally, that would be an easy out. It was something of a surprise that Lawrence, McAvoy, Fassbender, and Hoult all returned forDark Phoenix, since their contracts expired afterApocalypse. But if one or more of these incredibly busy actors signed a contract to return for just one moreX-Menmovie, that might make sense.
These first images also revealJessica Chastain’s villain, and while initial reports pegged her as playing Lilandra, EW doesn’t reveal her character’s name and only says she plays “an otherworldly shapeshifter.” That wouldkind ofdescribe Lilandra, who also plays a major part in the Dark Phoenix comics arc, and Chastain says she drew inspiration from an unlikely source:
“Simon and I were talking about the character and I said, ‘I keep thinking of the vet who tells you you need to put your dog down,'” says the actress of her inspiration. “There’s something very clinical about it.”
That dog, one imagines, is Jean Grey/Phoenix, and Chastain’s character likely advocates killing her entirely rather than trying to bring Jean Grey back. Kinberg also reveals in the cover story that he asked for a longer post-production period than usual to “deliver on the nuance of the visual effects,” which is great news.
Check out moreX-Men: Dark Phoeniximages below viaEW. The film also starsMichael FassbenderandEvan Petersand opens in theaters on June 19, 2025.
