Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique somewhat took center stage in last year's "X-Men: Apocalypse," a move that was not as well-received given the nature of her character. Now, for "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," fans were surprised to know that Lawrence is returning to reprise her role, although it does not seem clear why. The actress recently revealed her reasons for reprising her role as the shapeshifter.
While promoting her latest film "Mother!" Lawrence revealed to Digital Spy that her contract for the franchise was up and that she did not have to do another X-Men film. However, she added that if she left, she would also be wondering what Mystique's story would be moving forward. She explained that she felt like she owed it to the fans, and to the character to follow her journey as well as to be fair to the movies.
Lawrence said she did not want to leave fans and general audiences wondering about the Mystique they have been following over the past few years since "X-Men: First Class." By now, it was common knowledge that Lawrence was getting tired of playing the blue mutant. With Mystique included among the characters in "Dark Phoenix," it does pose a question as to how she will fit into the storyline.
Meanwhile, Jessica Chastain has long-been thought of to play the Shi'Ar empress Lilandra in the movie. Yet, the actress recently shed light on those rumors. She straight out denied that she will be playing the otherworldly monarch in the upcoming X-Men film.
It came from a photo she shared on Instagram, having taken it after filming her first scenes in the movie. She wrote in the comments, "Hey, want a scoop? I'm not playing Lilandra..." and did not mention anything else. Although, it can be noted that Chastain was in talks to play the Shi'Ar empress, who is supposedly the "antagonist" in the movie.
"X-Men: Dark Phoenix" will premiere on Nov. 2, 2018.
