Dark Phoenix Cast Talk About the Film’s Reworked Ending
The final 20th Century Fox X-Men movie, Dark Phoenix, arrives in theaters on June 7, but its journey from concept to screen hasn’t been an easy one. Cameras started rolling in 2017 with plans to release the movie in the fall of 2018. However, the film underwent reshoots that caused it to be delayed until this summer. Now, a few principal cast members are reflecting on how the film has changed since production began.
Dark Phoenix’s climax was initially meant to happen in space before the filmmakers moved it to the earthbound location of a military train. Obviously, this is a big departure from Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Dark Phoenix Saga, which depicted the X-Men fighting the Shi’ar Empress Lilandra’s army on the moon. But according to James McAvoy (via Yahoo UK), the goal was to make the film’s conclusion more unique.
“The end changed a hell of a lot,” said McAvoy. “The finale had to change. It’s for the better. There was a lot of overlap and parallels with another superhero movie that came out re…a while ago.”
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McAvoy wouldn’t say which film it was, but it’s interesting that he stopped himself before finishing the word “recently.” There have been a handful of recent comic book adaptations with cosmic final battles, including Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, and Captain Marvel. Unfortunately, it’s anyone’s guess as to which film bears the closest resemblance to Dark Phoenix’s original ending.
Regardless, other cast members echoed McAvoy’s view that the reshoots improved the quality of the film.
“It was just one of those things where the third act…you know, you watch the first two acts and the third act didn’t feel cohesive,” added Sophie Turner. “We went back and redid all of the third act pretty much, and it was such a good decision. I mean, the third act is the best part of the movie for me.”
Which ending would you prefer for Dark Phoenix? A cosmic battle or an something more down to Earth? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading – X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga
