Despite some recent rumors floating around online that the next two X-Men movies would be canceled, it looks like both Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants are going to arrive in theaters next year. Fox had originally planned to release three X-Men movies in 2018, but Deadpool 2 wound up being the only one to actually make its way to theaters, with both New Mutants and Dark Phoenix getting bumped to 2019. Both movies were in need of reshoots and Fox shuffled things around in order to accommodate the changes. Now, it looks like the previously reported release dates are locked in, unless something else shifts.
IMAX recently released a quarterly earnings report. In said report, they previewed their upcoming 2019 slate of releases. Both Dark Phoenix, the follow-up to 2016's disappointing X-Men: Apocalypse, and New Mutants, a horror-themed X-Men spin-off, are included on their calendar. While it's entirely likely at this point that Disney is going to complete their purchase of 20th Century Fox and will ultimately be in control of the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool in the future, for now, Fox is still in the driver's seat and they have a couple more mutant adventures to unleash on the moviegoing public.
As previously reported, Dark Phoenix is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 14, 2019. It was previously slated to arrive on November 2 of this year. Director Simon Kinberg has had to retool things and that ultimately set the flick back by a few months. Kinberg has been a long time writer and producer of the X-Men movie, but this marks his directorial debut. With the Disney deal pending, it's highly likely this will serve as a swan song for the main X-Men franchise at Fox.
New Mutants appears to be far messier. Though, the recent batch of rumors that cropped up online claimed that both movies are disasters. Director Josh Boone wanted to craft a horror movie within the X-Men universe that was originally slated to arrive back in April. However, massive reshoots to address story and tone issues were ordered and there's been apparent clashing between Boone and the studio. The spin-off was shifted to February 22, 2019, at one point before landing its current August 2, 2019, date. If that sticks and Fox doesn't enter production on another movie within the X-Men universe before the Disney deal is completed, this could very well be the last of Fox's superhero offerings to arrive in theaters.
The rumors that these movies may both be scrapped in favor of Marvel Studios' future vision for the X-Men appear to be simply that; rumors. Fox has already dumped a ton of money into both of these movies and they're not going to just let that go. We can't yet speak to the quality of either movie. Who knows? Maybe both Dark Phoenix and New Mutants are every bit as bad as the rumors suggest. Maybe they'll turn out great. In either case, they're both going to be making their way to a theater near you next year. This news comes to us courtesy of Seeking Alpha.
