Will the Phoenix rise again on the big screen?
Fans swooned at the image of the Phoenix in X2 but Bryan Singer left the franchise before exploring the Phoenix Saga in The Last Stand. The emergence of the Phoenix in Jean and her fate came on another director’s watch.
In Days of Future Past Singer helmed the film that rewrote history and gave Jean Grey and Scott Summers (Famke Janssen, James Marsden) a happier ending.
With a young Scott and Jean (Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner) does Singer want to tell the Phoenix story he wanted in X-Men: Apocalypse and future sequels?
“The full Phoenix story, I have no idea. I would have to re-explore that. If it’s already been explored, to re-explore and retell it. Plus the Phoenix story in the comic book has the Shi’ar Empire and the moon.” Singer told SlashFilm.
The interviewer then hinted at the X-Men’s comic connections to Celestials and space.
“With that you never know, but as far as the idea of that brewing within her, without giving anything away I would say absolutely that interests me and you may find a piece of that in this film.”
In what is considered the greatest X-Men comics story, Jean became Dark Phoenix and killed a planet. The Shi’ar Empire captured Jean to put her on trial for the deaths of billions and to prevent the Entity’s hunger from consuming more lives. The Empress was a lost love of Xavier’s past. The X-Men fought the Imperial Guard on the moon for the life of Jean who ultimately gave her life to prevent the Dark Phoenix from returning. It was later revealed the real Jean was cocooned and the Phoenix was a cosmic entity who took her physical host form.
In the film Phoenix was a powerful split personality of Jean fueled by her darkest passions and fury.
Apocalypse is the first mutant with various powers. In the trailer a young Jean sees a future ruled by the villain. Will she be tempted to unleash or tap into the Phoenix Force to defeat him?
X-Men: Apocalypse opens May 27th.
By Editor