DARK PHOENIX Director Explains Why He Didn't Adapt Some Of The Best Parts From The Comic Book Storyline

DARK PHOENIX Director Explains Why He Didn't Adapt Some Of The Best Parts From The Comic Book Storyline

Dark Phoenix is supposed to make up for how X-Men: The Last Stand dropped the ball on the "Dark Phoenix Saga," so why aren't Lilandra, the Shi'ar, and The Hellfire Club making an appearance in the movie?

By JoshWilding - May 31, 2019 05:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Dark Phoenix
Source: Digital Spy
X-Men: The Last Stand adapted both the "Dark Phoenix Saga" and "The Cure" storylines, but neither of them were handled particularly well. With Dark Phoenix, Simon Kinberg has said that he wanted to make up for past mistakes, so why has so much that makes the comic book version great been removed?

"I think if I had four hours to tell this story I would've included the Hellfire Club, I might've included Lilandra," the first-time director explains. "Because I wanted it to be so focused on Jean and I wanted to really tell a character story a little differently than we have in the past in the X-Men."
 
"In the past it's been a little more horizontal, meaning there was a breadth of character, there was a bunch of characters. In this one I wanted to go a little more vertical, I wanted to go deep with our main characters, and especially with Jean.
 
"So while I loved the Hellfire characters and their role in the Dark Phoenix saga in the comics, and I loved the Lilandra storyline in the comics, all of those felt like they were going to start to compete with the main story of Jean and her emotional crack-up and the break-up of the X-Men family," he continued. "And I didn't want to draw away from that main emotional through-line."

That's understandable, but doesn't make a huge amount of sense when you look at how much story Marvel Studios managed to cram into something like Avengers: Endgame to great effect. It's also difficult to figure out why Kinberg thinks it would be a good idea to cast Jessica Chastain as a generic, nameless "Alien" (her name in the movie according to various sources) instead of Lilandra. 

With the review embargo set to lift next week, we'll learn more about Dark Phoenix soon. 
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Fogs
Fogs - 5/31/2019, 5:33 AM
Cause the saga is destroyed beyond repair and he doesn't know how to make a good X-Men movie out of it.
lvcl
lvcl - 5/31/2019, 1:59 PM
smells like razzie

Antoin
Antoin - 5/31/2019, 3:26 PM
@Fogs - absolutely. Such a mess. Lololol
Kumkani
Kumkani - 5/31/2019, 5:35 AM
After Simon Kinberg said FOX was "never that smart" about these movies I'm honestly just done hearing whatever excuses and faux-praises anyone has to say about these X-Men.

And in all honesty, just like Infinity War and Endgame, you do not need a 1:1 adaptation of a famous comic book storyline. But if said storyline is pretty grand and epic, at least the movie adapting it should feel like that. You don't need to have had all of those best moments from the Phoenix Saga, but Dark Phoenix needs to feel as important and huge as that story.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't.
Kyos
Kyos - 5/31/2019, 6:51 AM
@DnA - Was going to comment, but I have nothing to add to this, really.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 5/31/2019, 7:11 AM
@DnA -

This comment...

DVonShakari
DVonShakari - 5/31/2019, 7:45 AM
@DnA - what you just said x100
WeaponXCII
WeaponXCII - 5/31/2019, 5:36 AM
Because they were the best parts.
Unites
Unites - 5/31/2019, 5:39 AM
I'm pretty sure this movie will be good.
Starscream24
Starscream24 - 5/31/2019, 7:04 AM
@Unites - (....... and then he continued smoking crack).
Amuro
Amuro - 5/31/2019, 7:38 AM
@Unites -

So far, the few opinions I've read about the first thirty minutes of the movie (shown to the journalists) and the three sequences which have been shown at fan conventions have been very positive. I don't know many details, but at least I've heard it's far better than the disaster that was X-Men: Apocalypse, and Kinberg's direction and an action sequence shown to the public are actually being praised based on what was shown.
DVonShakari
DVonShakari - 5/31/2019, 7:46 AM
@Starscream24 - 😂😂😂
rebellion
rebellion - 5/31/2019, 5:42 AM
The biggest bull$hitter in hollywood.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 5/31/2019, 8:08 AM
@rebellion - this movie is going to be complete dog sh*t, so i'm glad they didnt add a bunch of the better storylines to butcher those up too
SpideyPuffsMJ
SpideyPuffsMJ - 5/31/2019, 5:42 AM
Her name in the movie is..."Alien"?
Amuro
Amuro - 5/31/2019, 8:01 AM
@SpideyPuffsMJ -

From what I've understand, she was supposed to be a Skrull or something like that, leading to a third act in space with Jean fighting their fleet, but the complete third act was changed because it was too similar with Captain Marvel (they learned about it later, Dark Phoenix having been filmed in 2017 and Captain Marvel in 2018).

Now that the Skrulls and their fleet are seemingly no longer a part of the story, the nature of Chastain's character might also have been changed.
SabreToof
SabreToof - 5/31/2019, 11:32 PM
@Amuro - I'm quite certain telling from the fact that "Alien" is trying to mentor Jean Grey, seems to know a lot about Jean Grey, and in at least one scene seems to be controlling some visuals around Jean Grey, I'm leaning toward Jessica Chastain being the Phoenix Force, since White Queen is dead and not an alien.
Amuro
Amuro - 6/1/2019, 6:08 AM
@Skinwalker -

Honestly, it could be an X-Files type of alien, mysterious till the end, that it'll be fine with me as long as it makes its impact on the story.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 5/31/2019, 5:44 AM
Oh, that's easy.
He wouldn't have done them justice.
MuadDib
MuadDib - 5/31/2019, 6:04 AM
This isn’t the type of story you cram into 1 movie.. that was the first mistake..the whole Lilandra / cosmic part of the story is intercal ... I won’t even watch this on TV... rather wait and see the real X-Men in the MCU
ager
ager - 5/31/2019, 6:26 AM
@MuadDib - agreed. The Saga is 3 movies EASY. It’s an unfolding story not a chapter. That’s been the problem since day one. They try to cram great stories into singular tales.
ager
ager - 5/31/2019, 6:27 AM
Here’s hoping for the Morlocks and Sinister when the X-Men find screen time again.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 5/31/2019, 6:29 AM
What’s sad is that they actually could have done some of this... bring back Kevin Bacon and January Jones, then reveal that Bacon isn’t somehow back from the dead, but is instead Mastermind messing with Charles, Erik and Mystique to get control of Jean. And just like that, they’re tying back into First Class and making the movie seem bigger and their whole universe more connected.
QuietStorm
QuietStorm - 5/31/2019, 6:36 AM
The Umbrella Academy Season is better than whatever this crap is going to be.
Starscream24
Starscream24 - 5/31/2019, 7:08 AM
@QuietStorm - Amen Brother!
QuietStorm
QuietStorm - 5/31/2019, 7:29 AM
@KingCipher - Haven't watched it. I heard it's really great though.
Asturgis
Asturgis - 5/31/2019, 11:25 AM
@KingCipher - Tentacle Porn looks good as well, I mean, Swamp Thing.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 5/31/2019, 6:43 AM
Because there was little to no BUILD UP/SET UP for this story in this universe. You're literally CRAMMING this into one film.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 5/31/2019, 6:52 AM
This isn't the first time he's had to cover up a dumpster fire...
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