X-Men: Dark Phoenix will close out the 20th Century Fox era of the main
X-Men franchise, which began nearly two decades ago with 2000's Bryan Singer-directed pic (though the
New Mutants spinoff is apparently still on Disney's 2019 film slate).
Director Simon Kinberg was recently asked whether Stan Lee would be appearing in the film, and openly admitted that a cameo wasn't in the cards. "
We don’t have a cameo. I’d rather say that than then keep it mysterious, out of respect for Stan."
However, Kinberg stated that
Dark Phoenix will have a tribute to the Marvel icon. "
We do have some tribute to him, and it’s something that obviously we weren’t thinking about when we were making the movie because he was still very much alive. And he’s been such a huge part of making these films over the years. He’s had cameos; he’s had input into the process of making them."
Though the movie's marketing appears to be retreading many of the same missteps as
X-Men: The Last Stand, CinemaCon attendees who were treated to a sneak peek of the film gave favorable reactions.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix hits theaters on June 7, 2019.
In DARK PHOENIX, the X-MEN face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a rescue mission in space, Jean is nearly killed when she is hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. Wrestling with this entity inside her, Jean unleashes her powers in ways she can neither comprehend nor contain.
With Jean spiraling out of control, and hurting the ones she loves most, she begins to unravel the very fabric that holds the X-Men together. Now, with this family falling apart, they must find a way to unite -- not only to save Jean's soul, but to save our very planet from aliens who wish to weaponize this force and rule the galaxy.