DARK PHOENIX Director Simon Kinberg Said No To A BEAST Movie Because He Had Plans For Wolverine

As you've no doubt already heard, longtime X-Men editor John Ottman wanted to helm a Beast movie, but Simon Kinberg put the brakes on that because of his own plans for the franchise. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Jun 17, 2019 02:06 AM EST

Filed Under: Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix's second weekend at the box office was a total disaster, as bad reviews and negative word of mouth put the Phoenix in the ground for good. On Friday, though, we learned that longtime X-Men editor John Ottman was hoping to director a Beast movie written by his assistant Byron Burton.

However, with Simon Kinberg in charge of the franchise at the time, Fox told Ottman he would have to check with him for approval, and the writer turned director refused because he didn't want to become "unduly influenced" by it.

Now, it's been revealed that Kinberg was mulling over the idea of reintroducing Wolverine to the X-Men Universe following Hugh Jackman's retirement from the role, so Logan appearing elsewhere (he would have been in this Beast movie to help Hank McCoy battle the Wendigo) would have conflicted with those plans. Apparently, Professor X would have been the one to track Wolverine down.

Kinberg left a lot of unresolved plot threads with Dark Phoenix but Ottman's Beast movie would have finally made good use of those Mr. Sinister teases. "The idea was we would have Sinister as this multi-film villain orchestrating things," Burton confirms.

You can read the screenplay for Fear The Beast by clicking here.

Hit the "View List" button for a recap of shocking Dark Phoenix
revelations we've learned since the movie was released!

The Skrulls Were Meant To Appear

The D'Bari are revealed to be Dark Phoenix's alien villains and Jessica Chastain is named as Vuk, an extremely obscure character from the comic books. That wasn't always going to be the case, though, and Tye Sheridan confessed that the movie's original ending would have featured Cyclops battling an army of Skrulls at the United Nations.

This explains how the villains were able to shapeshift, and common sense says that reshoots saw them become the D'Bari because the delayed release date meant Fox wouldn't be able to beat Captain Marvel to the punch.

After all, there have already been rumblings that the Marvel Studios movie led to the final act being changed (more on that later) so the last thing Fox would have wanted would be to face criticisms for using an inferior version of the Skrulls, as critics would not have shied away from taking aim at them for failing to live up to what had come before.

It Was Meant To Be A Two-Parter

Quite some time ago, Olivia Munn revealed that Dark Phoenix was being written as a two-parter. Well, it turns out that was true, but Fox balked at the idea and instead asked Simon Kinberg to rewrite it as just the one movie. A specific reason for that has not been revealed, but what could have been Fox's answer to Infinity War became a less than two-hour epic disappointment.

There's nothing to say the movie would have been any better had to played out across two movies rather than one, but it would have given Kinberg the opportunity to tell a larger, epic tale.

Chances are Fox simply didn't have faith in a first-time director to shoot two movies back to back, especially as previous instalments of the X-Men franchise have been plagued by problems behind the scenes which have only just now started coming to light. We'll touch on those a little later, though.

A Completely Different Ending

It wasn't just the inclusion of the Skrulls that would have given Dark Phoenix a completely different ending. As we mentioned above, the final act was originally set to take place at the UN rather than on a train and that entire sequence was actually the result of reshoots. The original ending was going to put the focus on Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Professor X as they battled the aliens.

We don't know what that would have meant for the other characters, but test audiences reportedly rejected this version and made it clear they wanted to see the X-Men in action. Either way, things would have wrapped up in a similar fashion, as Jean was always going to take Vuk into outer space.

James Cameron Convinced Fox To Change The Release Date

Dark Phoenix was not meant to be a summer blockbuster, hence why it originally took aim at November and February release dates. Why was it released in June? Well, blame James Cameron.

Just two days after a new trailer was released touting Dark Phoenix's February 14th release date, Fox announced that it had been pushed back to June. That was a result of Cameron (a valuable asset to Fox) pushing for Alita: Battle Angel to be moved from a crowded December to that February slot in order to give it a better chance of success.

Despite pleas from Kinberg, producer Hutch Parker, and Fox's Emma Watts not to do it, Stacey Snider gave in to the filmmaker's demands. Alita still bombed when it arrived in theaters.

It's Going To Make A Huge Loss At The Box Office

Dark Phoenix debuted with $140 million at the worldwide box office, a significant drop from Days of Future Past's $262.9 million and a notable decline compared to Apocalypse's $166.6 million.

With a budget of $350 million (those reshoots weren't cheap), Dark Phoenix looks set to lose at least $100 million - $120 million for the now Fox-owned Disney. However, that's only if it meets $300 million - $325 million estimates and some analysts believe it could go as low as $285 million.

If Fox still owned the X-Men franchise, they would surely be turning to Marvel Studios for help!

Behind The Scenes Chaos

One big question fans have been asking since Dark Phoenix's release was why Simon Kinberg was chosen to take the helm of a big budget blockbuster when he had no prior filmmaking experience.

Well, a number of reliable outlets have confirmed that when Bryan Singer went M.I.A. on the set of Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, it was Kinberg who took control of things and that impressed the cast enough that they pushed for him to do the same with Dark Phoenix.

It's also finally been confirmed that he shot Fantastic Four's disastrous reshoots.

Constant Rewrites

In what must have seemed like a fairly innocent remark when she made it, Sophie Turner revealed in an interview that rewrites were a daily occurrence. In fact, the actress - who has no prior experience as a writer - would often help with the script, and, well, it's no wonder the story ended up being a complete mess.

We're not laying the blame at Turner's feet, but any movie that's being rewritten while shooting is taking place will have the odds stacked against it, and it takes a far more capable filmmaker than Kinberg to make that work. We've also heard that Fox regretted not keeping a closer eye on him during principal photography, and they soon realised that the movie was going off the rails it seems.

Captain Marvel Comparisons

Late last week, we heard that a big chunk of Dark Phoenix was changed because of similarities to Captain Marvel. Since then, some sites have said that is the case while others have claimed Fox had no prior knowledge of what was to come in the Marvel Studios movie. Ultimately, it seems as if the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

When Kinberg and company saw the Skrulls in the trailers for Captain Marvel, they must have thought better than to do the same, and as for why Jean Grey's appearance was so greatly changed, we can probably put that down to worries about comparisons to Carol Danvers' Binary form.

As for rumblings that Jean no longer blew up a number of spaceships as the Phoenix because of the Marvel Studios movie, that seems harder to believe as there is no way that Fox could have known what was going to happen in the closing moments of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's movie.

Simon Kinberg Didn't Direct The Movie's Best Scene

Say what you will about Dark Phoenix, but that action-packed train sequence was pretty awesome. Well, Simon Kinberg was not responsible for that because it was actually stunt co-ordinator Bryan Smrz (Iron Man 3) who shot it. That's confirmed in the movie's credits, and a recent report reveals that additional photography took place at the same time a second unit worked on that scene.

As a result, it's hard to say what we have Kinberg to thank for beyond a bad movie.

Will he get more work in Hollywood moving forward? Well, he's attached to a project with Jessica Chastain but it wouldn't be at all surprising if some big changes are made after this collaboration!

Lauren Shuler Donner Disowns Dark Phoenix

Last weekend, longtime X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner sent out a Tweet in which she disowned Dark Phoenix and made it clear that she had nothing to do with Apocalypse or The New Mutants, either. At first, it seemed like she was pulling a Josh Trank, but then a few more details emerged.

After "creative differences" on Days of Future Past, she actually left the franchise altogether and has had nothing to do with the likes of Deadpool, Logan, or Deadpool 2. The only reason she received a producer credit on those movies is down to some pretty generous contract terms, so it's no wonder that her big plans for Gambit never ended up coming to fruition.

However, this still generated even more negative publicity for Dark Phoenix during its opening weekend.

Continue reading below to see how the X-Men movies have fared on Rotten Tomatoes!

X-Men (2000)

Critics Score: 81%

Audience Score: 83%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Faithful to the comics and filled with action, X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus.

X-2: X-Men United (2003)

Critics Score: 85%

Audience Score: 85%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Critics Score: 58%

Audience Score: 61%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors' deeper character moments.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Critics Score: 37%

Audience Score: 58%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Though Hugh Jackman gives his all, he can't help X-Men Origins: Wolverine overcome a cliche-ridden script and familiar narrative.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Critics Score: 86%

Audience Score: 87%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.

The Wolverine (2013)

Critics Score: 71%

Audience Score: 69%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

Critics Score: 90%

Audience Score: 91%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.

Deadpool (2016)

Critics Score: 84%

Audience Score: 90%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining -- and decidedly non-family-friendly -- results.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Critics Score: 47%

Audience Score: 65%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise.

Logan (2017)

Critics Score: 93%

Audience Score: 90%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Critics Score: 83%

Audience Score: 85%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Though it threatens to buckle under the weight of its meta gags, Deadpool 2 is a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.

Once Upon A Deadpool (2018)

Critics Score: 51%

Audience Score: 50%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Once Upon a Deadpool retains enough of the franchise's anarchic spirit to entertain, but doesn't add enough to Deadpool 2 to justify its own existence.

Dark Phoenix (2019)

Critics Score: 23%

Audience Score: TBA

Certified Fresh? N/A

Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.

How They Stack Up

13. Dark Phoenix
12. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
11. X-Men: Apocalypse
10. Once Upon A Deadpool
9. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
7. X-Men 6. Deadpool 2
5. Deadpool
4. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
1. Logan

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31 Comments

LNBfett12 - 6/17/2019, 3:17 AM

I’d only be for a Beast movie if they kept him as a BEAST throughout the entire thing! This whole switching back and forth stuff is 🤦🏻‍♂️

dracula - 6/17/2019, 3:33 AM

@LNBfett12 - hopefully Disney picks less vain actors who will be willing to wear the make up unlike Lawrence and holt. Seriously Alan cumming, Kelsey grammer and Rebecca Romain had no problem wearing the stuff the whole time

Spock0Clock - 6/17/2019, 3:46 AM

@dracula - If I remember correctly, Cumming refused to come back because he hated the makeup. But it's not really vanity, it's sitting in a makeup chair for 3-6 hours before your work day even begins. (One of the reasons they cut Thor's hair was to trim Hemsworth's wig-time down).

But the design team didn't make it easy for themselves, either. All of those facial scars on Nightcrawler and individually-applied scales on Mystique were a crazy amount of work for very little effect.

And most of all, if the work was good, the story satisfying, the characters important, then I have no doubt that Lawrence and Hoult would have stepped up. But they were given shit to do, for 4 films, that's [frick]ing demoralizing.

Kumkani - 6/17/2019, 3:52 AM

@Spock0Clock - Yea, exactly. Hemsworth is the only one I can remember who did complain about hair and makeup and wanted it changed. I know the makeup for Karen Gillian as Nebula reduces each time they have had to do it so time isn't an issue. But for her, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Michael B Jordan, it's quite obvious all of them are and were willing to sit down and do that makeup for hours because they were at least given good material on top of everything.

dracula - 6/17/2019, 3:55 AM

@Spock0Clock - From what ive heard Cumming was willing to come back, but his role in x 3 was small so they decided it wasn't worth it and they cut him from the script. At least on Lawrence's part id say its vanity, they have simplified the make up more and more with each film to make it easier for her and she still barely wears it.

dracula - 6/17/2019, 3:30 AM

Who cares wouldn’t be real Beast, the one who is blue all the time with a potential ally interesting story to tell it would have been werewolf beast we got in the first class series

WeaponXCII - 6/17/2019, 3:32 AM

So this is saying Kinberg said no because it would've messed with the timeline he had in mind, right? If it is, I don't understand at all. It's not like Kinberg and Singer and the rest ever cared about continuity.

GhostDog - 6/17/2019, 3:32 AM

Y’all couldn’t even commit to keeping him in the Beast form full time in the damn team movies

GhostDog - 6/17/2019, 3:35 AM

“....those Mr. Sinister teases.”

I totally forgot about that post credit scene. Wow.

Kumkani - 6/17/2019, 3:53 AM

@BlackBeltJones - For which movie?

Spock0Clock - 6/17/2019, 3:36 AM

I honestly don't understand the perspective of people who say they just want to "see the director's vision". Like, how do you even parse this?

Kinberg was a screenwriter/producer who had his thumbs in every pie with an X in the title. Clearly the central creative voice for the majority of the franchise post-Vaughn. Yet, here he is in his producer role scuttling tentative ideas from a composer and editor for (likely) silly and self-serving reasons. Who is the auteur here?

And I don't want to dismiss Ottman/Burton completely out of hand. Just because they operated on the fringes of a badly mishandled franchise, it's impossible to tell if they might have made it better with some narrative control or if they were just trying to inflate their positions by gorging on a fat IP like Kinberg did. It's hard to imagine this franchise being more pointless than it became the last few years.

I just feel bad for everyone involved. Hoult wasn't well cast as Beast, but he was even more poorly handled by the scripts and stories. I'm just relieved that neither Vaughn nor Ottman/Burton nor Kinberg ever got to recast Wolverine and that Feige is in complete control now. The bleeding is stopped and now the healing can begin.

TheUnworthyThor - 6/17/2019, 3:42 AM

A Beast movie could be awesome. Him battling Wendigo with Wolverine sounds like an awful joke though. Thankfully the franchise is in safer hands now.

Spock0Clock - 6/17/2019, 3:52 AM

@TheUnworthyThor - I'm slowly picking up on X-comics I missed out on over the last decade or so, and from what I've gleaned from wikis the time-displaced Beast sounds like a really interesting direction for the character. "What If... Hank had gone into the mystic arts instead of biochemistry?" And then he's turning into Furry Hellboy? Sounds hilarious.

While I've said Storm should be the premiere MCU X-Man, Hank McCoy deserves a big role, hopefully in some kind of Avengersy-Defendersy-Championsy-Whatever-mah-callit type team.

Kyos - 6/17/2019, 3:51 AM

Spock0Clock - 6/17/2019, 3:59 AM

@Kyos - I can.

SplattyMcJoj - 6/17/2019, 5:12 AM

@Spock0Clock - It's my boy Father Dougal!!!

PAbloYocroNUtS - 6/17/2019, 4:08 AM

L0RDbuckethead - 6/17/2019, 12:16 PM

@PAbloYocroNUtS -

Hawknaba - 6/17/2019, 5:02 AM

But did anyone actually want a Beast movie in this new timeline....?

Probably the last solo i'd be thinking of, i'd go Quicksilver before i went for that

Reeds2Much - 6/17/2019, 7:58 AM

Kinberg was mulling over the idea of reintroducing Wolverine to the X-Men Universe following Hugh Jackman's retirement from the role

So ... there'd be a decade after Apocalypse where he stopped being Hugh Jackman and then he'd turn back into Hugh when X-Men 1's era came around?