As 2017 winds to a close, we’re starting to get a first look at some very big 2018 movies. That includesX-Men: Dark Phoenix, the upcomingX-Mensequel that proves to be different than anything that came before.Simon Kinberg, who wrote and/or producedX-Men: The Last Stand,Days of Future Past,Apocalypse,Fantastic Four, andDeadpool, is making his directorial debut onDark Phoenix, taking over directing duties fromBryan Singerwho helmed the last twoX-Menfilms.
Kinberg wrote the script himself as well, and while fans have been curious to see just how true to the title this movie will be, it’s been revealed inEW’s new cover storythat yes,X-Men: Dark Phoenixis going to space. Indeed the film appears to be adapting the Dark Phoenix comics saga pretty closely, as EW confirms that the X-Men are dispatched to space for a rescue mission, at which point “a solar flare hits the X-Jet and the surge of energy ignites a malevolent, power-hungry new force within Jean (Game of Thrones’SophieTurner)— the Phoenix.”
In keeping with the trend ofDays of Future PastandApocalypse,Dark Phoenixtakes place about 10 years after the events ofX-Men: Apocalypse, in 1992. At this point in time the X-Men are national heroes, withJames McAvoy’s Charles Xavier landing on the cover ofTimemagazine. His “growing ego” begins to put the crew in danger, and EW teases “a massive twist halfway through that will irrevocably change the course of the franchise.” For his part, McAvoy agrees that it’s a very emotional outing:
“This is probably the most emotional X-Men we’ve done and the most pathos-driven,” McAvoy says. “There’s a lot of sacrifice and a lot of suffering.”
You can check out the first image of Turner as the Phoenixover at EWandclick herefor the first images from the movie. The film also starsJennifer Lawrence,Michael Fassbender,Nicholas Hoult,Alexandra Shipp,Kodi Smit-McPhee,Evan Peters, andJessica Chastainand hits theaters on July 05, 2025.
