The upcoming film "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," the latest installment in the "X-Men" film franchise, is only months away from its release. Fans who have read the extended "The Dark Phoenix Saga" storyline in the "X-Men" comics may be familiar with the story, but until the film comes out later this year, it is unknown how the film will tackle the emotionally-charged storyline.
The story of the Dark Phoenix is centered on the character Jean Grey, played by Sophie Turner in the new "X-Men: First Class" timeline, a mutant with the superhuman abilities of telepathy and telekinesis. When Jean attains the full potential of her powers, she becomes the Phoenix, an immensely powerful manifestation of primal universal forces. The Phoenix, known as one of the most powerful beings in the universe, can both create and destroy in vast magnitudes.
While a past film, "X-Men: The Last Stand," has touched upon "The Dark Phoenix Saga," it did not explore the storyline in full. The upcoming movie, however, can be expected to be a much closer adaptation of "The Dark Phoenix Saga."
"X-Men: Dark Phoenix" takes place 10 years after the events of "X-Men: Apocalypse," the film immediately preceding it. In "X-Men: Apocalypse," Jean was compelled to release her full powers as the Phoenix in order to defeat an ancient and powerful mutant.
This means, therefore, that "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" may focus more on the personal interactions between the characters and their reactions to Jean's rise as the Phoenix. In the comic books, the X-Men have to fight a being that had once been one of their own, and maybe still is. The character of Cyclops, played by Tye Sheridan, is also placed in the difficult position of having to fight against the woman he loves.
In "The Dark Phoenix Saga," Jean commits suicide to ultimately stop the Dark Phoenix, the twisted, corrupted, and destructive form of the Phoenix.
However, as the past films in the franchise have demonstrated, the deaths of central characters are not always permanent. The character of Jean Grey, then played by actress Famke Janssen, had already died once before in the film franchise's original timeline, also in an act of self-sacrifice. She returned as the Phoenix in "X-Men: The Last Stand."
The members of the cast of the film have also claimed that "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" is more of a drama than a superhero movie. Given the events in the source material, this may indeed be true. Turner herself has also claimed that the production "wanted to create a whole new genre of superhero movie," so audiences may expect to see something different when they watch the film.
Thus, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" may indeed be a close adaptation of "The Dark Phoenix" saga. Of course, until the movie comes out in theaters, this remains to be seen.
"X-Men: Dark Phoenix" is set to premiere on Nov. 2.
