Moviefone Editorial

Tag: x-men spinoff

  • This ‘Dark Phoenix’ International Poster Is a Retro Comic Throwback

    This ‘Dark Phoenix’ International Poster Is a Retro Comic Throwback

    20th Century Fox

    The “Dark Phoenix” will be rising next summer when the “X-Men” character — who emerges from Jean Grey, played by Sophie Turner — gets her own spinoff. And a new international poster for the flick is giving fans a huge nod to the heroine’s comic book roots.

    The one-sheet was produced for Comic Con Brazil (also known as Comic Con Experience, or CCXP) to promote the cast and crew’s upcoming panel there, and looks like it could easily have been the cover on one of the character’s first comics from the 1980s.

    CCXP

    In the image, Jean is front and center, flanked by both Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and she looks ready to unleash all kinds of chaos. That’s precisely what is set to happen in “Dark Phoenix,” as Jean begins to spiral out of control while trying to wield new, dangerous powers — which also make her irresistible to outside forces, who want to harness those powers to take over the universe.

    That’s a decidedly “X-Men”-style storyline, and that’s why this poster is especially cool: There’s no mistaking that this is promoting a comics-inspired film. (Unlike, say, the photo at the top of this post, which looks like it could have been pulled from the press tour for Turner’s costar Jennifer Lawrence’s “Hunger Games” films.)

    “Dark Phoenix” is set to spark in theaters on June 7, 2019.

    [via: Collider]

  • ‘Deadpool 2’ Release Date Moved Up, ‘Gambit’ Release Date Pushed Back

    Studio Fox is making some big changes to its upcoming release calendar, with three films now slated to debut on different dates.

    The most noteworthy affected film is “Deadpool 2,” which is seeing its release date moved up two weeks. The Ryan Reynolds-starring sequel to 2016 hit “Deadpool,” originally set to debut on June 1, will now bow on May 18.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, that move is likely a strategic one, taking the comic book flick out of competition with upcoming spinoff film “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which is set to premiere on May 25. As THR notes, the recent “Star Wars” films have done big business in their second week of release, and Fox likely does not want “Deadpool 2” to have to fight off “Star Wars” fans at the box office.

    The other big news is confirmation that “Gambit” is indeed changing its release date. The “X-Men” spinoff just lost its third director in as many years, after Gore Verbinski bowed out of the project this week. It had been unclear if the studio would still try to make its planned February 14, 2019 release date; now, the flick has officially been pushed to the new date of June 7, 2019.

    THR is saying that the main reason for the switch is that the tone of the flick, a comedic film revolving around a heist, will play better as a summer tentpole. But the likely real reason is the most obvious: The Channing Tatum flick still needs a director who will stay on board for more than a few months — and actually begin production.

    Finally, “X-Men” spinoff “The New Mutants” is facing an even bigger delay. Instead of debuting on April 13 of this year, it is now set for release on February 22, 2019. While a 10-month pushback doesn’t exactly bode well for the flick, THR’s sources note that it may just be a logistical switch, to avoid overseas competition with other Fox studio releases (including “Deadpool 2”).

    While this type of behind the scenes shuffling is fairly common at studios, it’s especially interesting for Fox, which is facing that impending Disney buyout. Whether that move is responsible for any of this repositioning is anybody’s guess, but it’s something to keep an eye on in the future. (Especially with projects that have yet to get the official greenlight.)

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

  • ‘Gambit’ Loses Director Again as Gore Verbinski Exits Before March Shoot

    Build Series Presents Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, Jason Isaacs and Gore Verbinski Discussing 'A Cure For Wellness'Yet another director is declining to take a chance on “X-Men” spinoff “Gambit,” with Gore Verbinski exiting the high-profile project only two months before it was set to begin shooting.

    Deadline reports that Verbinski’s departure is an “amicable split” with studio 20th Century Fox, and chalks up the move to “scheduling issues with several other projects on the director’s plate.” Still, it’s an odd choice so close to the planned production start, which was to begin in New Orleans in March. According to The Hollywood Reporter, casting was already in full swing.

    Verbinski is the third helmer to join, then subsequently leave, the film over the past few years, following both Rupert Wyatt (who bailed in 2015) and Doug Liman (who backed out in 2016). It’s a bad sign for “Gambit,” which has sputtered in development limbo for quite some time, despite a strong commitment from Fox and still-attached titular star Channing Tatum.

    Now, the studio is scrambling yet again to fill the director’s chair, and with that March shoot date looming, it may need to delay production. That will obviously affect the film’s planned release date, which is currently scheduled for February 14, 2019.

    It’s unclear if Fox will still try to make that date. But considering how many times this film has been delayed already, we wouldn’t be shocked if it’s pushed back yet again. Stay tuned.

    [via: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter]

  • ‘Deadpool’ Director Developing Kitty Pryde ‘X-Men’ Spinoff Movie

    The director of “Deadpool” has his sights set on another character from the Marvel comics-verse, with Tim Miller developing a solo “X-Men” spinoff flick centered around the mutant Kitty Pryde.

    Collider has the scoop that Miller is currently shepherding the project for studio 20th Century Fox, the home of the “Deadpool” franchise. It’s still early days in the process, but Miller’s involvement certainly bodes well for the picture, considering the success he and Ryan Reynolds had with the Merc With a Mouth.

    What could complicate things, though, is the looming Disney buyout, which may spell doom for any in-development Fox projects once it goes into effect (pending Congressional approval, of course). Collider cautions that the flick could be delayed or even canceled altogether while that process plays out, though the site is extremely confident in its reporting that this is a project that Miller is currently actively pursuing, buyout be damned.

    Kitty Pryde was last seen on the big screen played by Ellen Page in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Here’s a character breakdown, courtesy of Collider:

    Best known by the codename Shadowcat, but also taking on the aliases of Ariel, Sprite and even the mantle of Star-Lord over the years, Pryde is a mutant with the ability to “phase” or become intangible, which basically allows her (and anything she’s touching) to pass through solid objects, disrupt electromagnetic fields, and even levitate.

    She certainly sounds like a character who deserves her own story on the big screen, and we hope Miller gets the chance to tell it. Stay tuned to see if this project pans out.

    [via: Collider]

  • James Franco to Star in ‘X-Men’ Spinoff ‘Multiple Man’: Report

    AFI FEST 2017 Presented By Audi - Screening Of 'The Disaster Artist' - ArrivalsFresh off playing twin brothers on HBO series “The Deuce,” James Franco will next portray a bunch of clones of himself on the big screen: The actor is reportedly set to star in the “X-Men” spinoff “Multiple Man.”

    Deadline reports that Franco will star in and produce the flick alongside longtime “X-Men” producer Simon Kinberg, as well as his brother, Dave Franco. “Wonder Woman” writer Allan Heinberg is reportedly attached to pen the script.

    “Multiple Man” exists in the “X-Men” universe and revolves around the titular hero, alias Jamie Madrox, who has the power to clone himself (though he can’t necessarily control it). It’s a pretty bonkers-sounding concept, explained here by Deadline:

    Multiple Man is Jamie Madrox, who, in the comics, conveyed his cloning powers at birth, when a second, identical version of him appeared after the doctor slapped the infant to get him to breathe. His father, a worker at the Los Alamos Nuclear Research Center, moved his family to a remote farm where his son — fitted with a special suit to control his powers designed by X-Men patriarch Professor Xavier — lived quietly until the suit malfunctioned and he began to go crazy. His cloning abilities drove Madrox to have various collisions and collaborations with both the X-Men and Fantastic Four.

    Franco has a penchant for selecting oddball characters to play on the big screen, and this certainly fits the bill. Fox has had a hard time getting some of its “X-Men” spinoff properties off the ground (see: the ongoing struggle to make Channing Tatum’s “Gambit” movie), so we’ll see how this one fares in the development stages. Stay tuned.

    [via: Deadline]