With Bryan Singer unable to return to direct the next installment of the
X-Men franchise, it was unexpected (to say the least) that writer and producer Simon Kinberg stepped up to fill his shoes for
X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The film will be Kinberg's directorial debut, after contributing significantly to superhero films such as
X-Men: The Last Stand,
X-Men: Days of Future Past,
Fant4stic, and
X-Men: Apocalypse.
While his track record on the
X-Men films has been shaky at best,
Dark Phoenix star Sophie Turner seems to have the utmost faith in Kinberg. Speaking to Empire Magazine (via
CBR), Turner praised Kinberg as the best director she's ever worked with.
“Simon has been the brain behind X-Men for years, and it’s really exciting to have what feels like one of our own rise up and take hold of the franchise, and direct it in the way that he sees it,” Turner said.
“I have to say he’s one of the best director I’ve ever worked with. He’s so passionate and collaborative.”
Turner went on to describe the film as a
“dark, gritty drama,” adding that the aim of the movie is to make a unique impact in the superhero genre.
“We are revolutionizing it. We wanted to create a whole new genre of superhero movie.” According to the magazine,
Dark Phoenix will take place in 1993 (ten years after Apocalypse), and that Jean's powers will have reached such a godlike state that they develop a separate personality within Jean (sound familiar?). It's also revealed by Empire that while
"The X-Men go cosmic," the film won't be the interstellar caper that many were probably hoping for, but a very "personal" story.
"Once I got the script though, I realized that not only were we telling this amazing superhero story, but we were also telling a very personal story as well," Turner said.
"One which required research into mental health issues. Because that is a big part of what drives the story. I mainly drew inspiration from multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia, as it is really about duality, this movie. Darkness and light - that's all within her. This sense of being a completely other person and her struggling with that."
Bold words, indeed! We'll find out for certain if the film lives up to Turner's promise when
X-Men: Dark Phoenix releases on
November 2, 2018.