15 Jun – Award-winning actress Jessica Chastain is currently in talks to appear as a villain in Fox's upcoming "X-Men: Dark Phoenix". The Hollywood Reporter reports that if Chastain were to accept, she would be playing the role of Lilandra, the empress of an alien empire called the Shi'ar. "Dark Phoenix" will get the band of the stars from the earlier movies back together since they have been reported to reprise their roles. Among such stars are Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy, as well as, "X-Men: Apocalypse's" Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wager. Long-time "X-Men" producer, Simon Kinberg will be written and making his directorial debut with "Dark Phoenix". Kinberg previously stated that he will be following the Dark Phoenix storyline from the popular early 1980s comic book.
In the comic books, Jean Grey's powers became greatly amplified when she becomes the host of the cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix eventually completely takes over Jean and becomes the X-Men's enemy. Unlike the X-Men, who only wish to save their friend, Lilandra would go on a mission to capture and execute the Dark Phoenix, thus putting her in the path of conflict with the mutant heroes. In 2006' "X-Men: The Last Stand", the Dark Phoenix storyline was badly executed to the point where both fans and critics scorn it. "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" will be filmed in Montreal and is set to be released on 1 November 2018. (Photo Source: Kevork Djansezian | NBC)