A ludicrous theory hit the web the other day, from a source unworthy of even mentioning, but it’s one that’s come up before so I felt the need to do a little digging to see if there was anything to it. In short,
somebody put it out into the world that the next two Fox X-Men films, Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, had been cancelled.
First of all, that’s a silly notion when you consider all of the red tape that would require, the lawsuits it would beg for, and the amount of resources Fox has pumped into both films (especially Dark Phoenix). But this isn’t the first time we’ve heard something like this, so I thought I’d do so some digging to find out for myself.
I contacted someone who’s extremely close to the production of Dark Phoenix and, while they refused to go on the record discussing such a bogus theory, they shared with me some simple facts about what the actual state of the film is:
- The production is currently set up in Montreal, as it prepares for a couple of weeks of reshoots
- Those reshoots will take place across August and September
- Whole set pieces are actively being constructed for this additional photography
Does that sound like something that would be happening for a film that’s been cancelled or scrapped?
Furthermore, just earlier this month Dark Phoenix star Sophie Turner said this to
Digital Spy:
“I think it’s just a few bits and bobs, reshoot-wise. To be honest, I don’t even know what we’re reshooting at the moment. So I couldn’t really tell you much about that one.”
“All I know is that I’ll be back in Montreal at some point soon, and that the Valentine’s Day release date is quite a positive thing, because Black Panther got released on Valentine’s Day. So we’re keeping positive about it.”
That last bit coincides with what I heard earlier this year, which was that the primary reason Dark Phoenix was moved to February of 2019 was because of what a profitable release month that’s become for superhero films. Both the original Deadpool and Black Panther released on Valentine’s Day weekend, and both did unbelievable numbers tapping into audiences looking for something other than a date movie.
So let’s put this silliness behind us, shall we?