'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' cast, plot: Jessica Chastain in Talks to Play Villain; Simon Kinberg to Direct Film
Fox has released new details on "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," the next installment in the mutant franchise, from the cast and director to the film's plot and setting.
Deadline reported that Fox has locked in Simon Kinberg as the director for "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." For a long time, Kinberg has served as the creative backbone of the "X-Men" franchise, but this is the first time he will be working as the director.
Original cast members Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult are also returning, together with "X-Men: Apocalypse" newcomers Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
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The "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" plot will be set in the 1990s. It is a retelling of the "Dark Phoenix" storyline from the comic books, where Jean Grey sees her powers magnified to exponential degrees and becomes corrupted by a cosmic energy called the Phoenix Force. This entity eventually takes over and Jean takes on a new persona called Dark Phoenix.
"X-Men" movie fans would recognize that it has the same plot as 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," where Famke Janssen played Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix.
However, the Dark Phoenix's enormous powers aren't the only thing posing a threat to the X-Men and the rest of the world. The film will also feature the Shi'ar Empire, whose empress, Lilandra Neramani, will be a villain.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jessica Chastain is reportedly in talks to play Lilandra in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." Lilandra leads a mission to capture and execute Dark Phoenix, which puts her in a conflicting position with the X-Men.
It remains unclear if the film will follow Lilandra as a character in the books, whose powers are much larger than any the X-Men have faced in the movies to date.
Filming for "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" will soon begin in Montreal, Canada. The scheduled release date is Nov. 2, 2018.
