Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg decided to keep the storylines surrounding the Hellfire Club and Lilandra out of the upcoming X-Men film. This will be Kinberg’s second go-around at adapting Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s famous Dark Phoenix Saga comics, but unlike X-Men: The Last Stand, Dark Phoenix will put more of a focus on Jean Grey’s storyline. The upcoming film follows the X-Men as they try to save Jean (Sophie Turner), after a mission in space finds her colliding with a cosmic force that grants her unbelievable powers. The film will be the culmination of 19-years worth of X-Men stories from Fox, after Disney acquired the rights to the franchise earlier this year.
With this installment being Fox’s final X-Men outing, Dark Phoenix is now also in charge of tying up loose ends from previous X-Men films. Kinberg has assured fans that Jean Grey’s story will be the perfect conclusion to the franchise while simultaneously connecting the other films. The biggest film that sticks out is Days of Future Past, which caused plenty of continuity problems for the series. But Kinberg is confident that the film will clean them up while bringing an end to a beloved story.
This could also be the reasoning behind Kinberg’s decision to leave out certain parts of the Dark Phoenix Saga’s storyline. In an interview with Digital Spy, the director explained that if he, “had four hours to tell this story,” then he, “would’ve included the Hellfire Club, [he] might’ve included Lilandra.” Kinberg went on to explain that, “in the past it’s been a little more horizontal, meaning there was a breadth of character,” but in regard to Dark Phoenix, he wanted to, “go deep with our main characters, and especially with Jean.” He feared that, even though both Lilandra and the Hellfire Club’s stories are fantastic, that they, “were going to compete with the main story of Jean and her emotional crack-up.”
The Hellfire Club played a significant role in the comics, as they worked to manipulate the Phoenix into becoming the Black Queen. This portion of the story led to a confrontation between the X-Men and Lilandra. So, both the Hellfire Club and Lilandra played major roles in Jean’s story, but Kinberg’s point does make sense. Ending the X-Men franchise on a more emotional note centered on one of the series’ best characters is the best way to bring an end to the franchise.
Dark Phoenix is carrying a lot on its shoulders, especially with the idea lingering in the air that Disney could possibly be rebooting the entire franchise under the Marvel Studios moniker. The film is not only in charge of bringing nearly 20-years worth of X-Men movies to a close, but also telling a story that comic book fans will love and enjoy. Simon Kinberg’s decision to leave out certain parts of the Dark Phoenix Saga is ultimately a good idea in the long run, considering the other option would make for a clustered, chaotic, and probably less-enjoyable film for X-Men fans.
Next: 10 Satisfying Ways Dark Phoenix Could End Fox’s X-Men Franchise
Source: Digital Spy
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix Release Date: 2019-06-07
