All signs point to the end of an era for the X-Men universe. With Disney now in charge of all of Fox’s Marvel properties, the mutants and their associated characters (except Deadpool) will be folded in to the MCU and rebooted. With the studio – in whatever form it’s taking – deciding that today (May 13) is X-Men Day, here’s a new trailer for the final Fox-era entry, Dark Phoenix.
Dark Phoenix sees regular X-Men movie writer (and now director) Simon Kinberg looking to give the Dark Phoenix storyline its proper due, and a whole film in which to show how Jean’s (Sophie Turner) powers are affected by a cosmic accident. Old, difficult truths are dredged up (particularly for James McAvoy’s Professor Xavier) and as Jean’s abilities increase, her ties to her human side start to waver, especially with the influence of Jessica Chastain’s mysterious alien.
All of this is set against the backdrop of the 1990s, with the X-Men now considered heroes, regularly saving humans and generally praised by society at large. But that could all change with the lethal combo of Xavier’s ego and Jean’s growing capabilities.
Dark Phoenix arrives in UK cinemas on 7 June. A new video looking back at the legacy of the X-universe is also online and you can watch it above.
Parents need to know that Dark Phoenix is the fourth installment in the X-Men: First Class reboot series. Following the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and the X-Men continue to use their mutant superpowers to protect the world. But when Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is blasted by a cosmic force during a rescue mission, she starts to lose control over her increasingly powerful telekinetic abilities, becoming the Dark Phoenix.
Fueled by childhood pain and suffering, her dangerous new powers threaten to rip apart the X-Men and even destroy the world. The previous X-Men films had some swearing and innuendo, plus lots of sci-fi action and violence — including explosions, crashes, stabbings, and more — so you can expect the same here. The movie is also likely to deal with heavy themes including grief and trauma, which could be too intense for young or sensitive viewers.
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Directed by: Simon Kinberg
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain
Screenplay by: Simon Kinberg
Production Design by: Claude Paré
Cinematography by: Mauro Fiore
Film Editing by: Lee Smith
Costume Design by: Daniel Orlandi
Set Decoration by: Eve Boulonne, Cyrille Chatelain, Elise de Blois, Elizabeth Wilcox
Art Direction by: Vincent Aird, Ravi Bansal, David Gaucher, Mathieu Giguère, Vincent Gingras-Liberali, Michele Laliberte, Félix Larivière-Charron, Veronique Meunier, Sandra Nieuwenhuijsen, Kimberley Zaharko, Loic Zimmermann
Music by: Hans Zimmer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action including some gunplay, disturbing images, and brief strong language.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: June 7, 2019
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