‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ May Give Avengers A Run For Their Money, Says X-Men Creator Chris Claremont
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of slowing down, theX-Menfranchise has been running out of steam. Even thoughLoganwas a huge success, that movie went against the grain of the primaryX-Menfranchise. Meanwhile,X-Men: Apocalypsewas a massive disappointment, and fans have been wondering if producerSimon Kinberghas any tricks left up his sleeve as he steps behind the camera for the first time with the next sequel.
X-Men: Dark Phoenixwill adapt an iconic storyline from legendaryX-Mencomics writerChris Claremont. And no pressure: it’s only one of the most revered arcs in the long history of the mutant series. This will be the second time the film franchise has attempted to bring it to life on the big screen afterX-Men: The Last Standpoorly adapted the storyline, but Claremont doesn’t see that as a problem. In fact, he hopes that this will be theX-Menmovie that gives the Avengers a run for their money.ScreenCrushsat down with Claremont to talk about a new documentary covering the writer’s time spent with the mutant characters (Chris Claremont’s X-Menarrives on VOD today). The conversation eventually turned to theX-Menfilm franchise, where it was pointed out that this is now the second time the “Dark Phoenix” story will be adapted. To that, Claremont said, “It isn’t like they didn’t make more than one version ofCasino Royale.” He continued:
Simon Kinberg has his heart in the right place. He’s got the best ensemble cast of young faces I’ve seen in quite a while. My hope is it will give the Avengers a more than decent run for their money."
This is Kinberg’s first time behind the camera as director, though he’s been producingX-Menmovies and other blockbusters for years. His heart may be in the right place, but that’s not all it takes to make a movie like this work. Hopefully, Claremont’s right in his estimated comparison ofX-Men Dark PhoenixtoCasino Royale, the film that successfully rebooted the James Bond franchise to give us something fresh for the secret agent.
Rose Byrne Won’t Be Back for X-Men: Dark Phoenix
The ensemble cast of X-Men movies is a sizeable one, and sometimes it’s too crowded for every character from previous installments to come back. That’s why we’re not going to seeRose Byrnereturn inDark Phoenix.
Rose Byrne played Moira MacTaggert inX-Men: First Classand played a pivotal role in the first iteration of the mutant team, even becoming a love interest for Professor X (James McAvoy). She sat out the crowdedX-Men: Days of Future Past, but ended up returning forX-Men: Apocalypse, albeit with no memory of the events ofX-Men: First Class. But the actress has confirmed she won’t be back again.
While making the press rounds forthe newPeter Rabbitmovie, Rose Byrne revealed (viaCinemaBlend), “Unfortunately, Moira is not showing up. I wish she was. I had such fun onX-Men: Apocalypse. I love that cast.”
But that doesn’t mean she won’t be watching, and she’s on the exact same page we are with regards to what we’re most excited about. Byrne said, “I can’t wait to see what [Jessica Chastain] does, cause I’m such a fan.” We’re there with you, Rose.
