A brand new trailer for Dark Phoenix is finally here. Fox has been hard at work on their latest installment of the long-running X-Men franchise, which kicked off back in 2000 with the first live-action take on the Marvel mutants. Even though there has been a lot of playing around with the timeline, the continuity has (technically) never been reset, making this one of the most impressive franchise runs ever. But that all could be coming to a close and this gives us our best look yet at what very likely will be the final movie in this X-Men universe.
This movie will be tackling a familiar storyline. The Dark Phoenix saga was previously tackled director Brett Ratner's The Last Stand in 2006. Unfortunately, in the eyes of many, that take didn't do justice to the source material. This particular storyline is one of the most beloved and well-regarded in the history of Marvel Comics. Can they get it right this time around? They certainly seem to be pulling out all the stops as Jean Grey becomes more powerful than she can possibly handle. But bigger doesn't always mean better.
So far, the production has been troubled and has had to undergo very significant reshoots. To make matters more complicated, the Disney merger with Fox has been looming the whole time and that has left a great deal of uncertainty. It's because of the merger, which is now expected to close next month, that the X-Men franchise as we know it is all but done. At that point, it will be Disney, who owns Marvel Studios, in control of the property, meaning that the mutants will wind up eventually being folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With that, Dark Phoenix will be the series' swan song. Granted, New Mutants is still on deck, but that spin-off has been equally troubled, if not moreso, and it won't feature any of the main characters we've come to know.
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The cast sees the return of James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), Evan Peters (Quicksilver) and Sophie Turner (Jean Grey). Jessica Chastain is on board as the mysterious main villain. Even though Chastain is the big bad, the X-Men are going to have to face off against Jean as she struggles with her new power and, as we can see, that's going to come with dire consequences.
Longtime series writer and producer Simon Kinberg makes his directorial debut. This is a huge movie for one's first go around in the director's chair, even though he's very familiar with the franchise. To date, the franchise (counting both Deadpool movies) has grossed $5.8 billion worldwide and has spanned just shy of two decades. That's an impressive run and we can only hope this gives it the send off it deserves. Dark Phoenix is set to hit theaters on June 7. Be sure to check out the new trailer from 20th Century Fox below.
