Interview

Costume Designer

How Dark Phoenix‘s Key Costumer Handled a Mutant Wardrobe

Co-writer and director Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix was a very different kind of X-Men film for a variety of reasons. One is the fact that he removed X-Men from the title altogether. This was done to put the focus squarely on the troubled shoulders of Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), whose evolution, so to speak, into the titular Dark Phoenix is the film’s central storyline. Yet despite removing the name of the mutant super-group from the title,

By Bryan Abrams  |  June 12, 2019
Watch Jean Grey Battle Magneto in Dark Phoenix Scene Breakdown

In the world of the X-Men, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Professor X (James McAvoy) serve as mutant whisperers, only they do so to very different ends. For the good Professor, he teaches and counsels mutants, young and old, in an attempt to both nurture their gifts and make them respectable members of the community. For the often very bad Magneto, he takes in wayward mutants and nurtures their talents for chaos-making, enlisting them in his longstanding war with humanity.

By The Credits  |  June 10, 2019

Interview

Director

Longtime X-Men Scribe Simon Kinberg on Directing Dark Phoenix

He wrote Sherlock Holmes, produced The Martian and guided six X-Men movies to fruition from his vantage point as a writer and producer. But Simon Kinberg never actually directed anything until he took the reins of Dark Phoenix. Opening Friday, June 7, the movie reunites X-Men fixtures Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender along Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones),

By Hugh Hart  |  June 6, 2019
New Dark Phoenix Clip Suggests Changing the Team’s Name to X-Women

In a brand new clip from Dark Phoenix, Jennifer Lawrence’s Raven (really better known as Mystique) gives Professor X (James McAvoy) a piece of her mind. The moment takes place directly after the space rescue mission that the Professor sends the X-Men on to save some stranded astronauts. A strange cosmic accident occurs during the mission, and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) comes into contact with a stellar force that imbues her with massive new powers.

By The Credits  |  June 5, 2019

Interview

Hair/Makeup

Getting a Mutant Makeover With Dark Phoenix‘s Makeup Department Head

Dark Phoenix is the last film in the nearly two-decade-old X-Men franchise. Yet by dropping X-Men from the title, co-writer/director Simon Kinberg, one of the franchise’s most tenured creatives, put the focus squarely on Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). The film is centered on a space rescue mission gone horribly awry, and the resultant transformation of Jean Grey from an already potent member of the X-men into the titular cosmic force with nearly unimaginable powers.

By Bryan Abrams  |  June 5, 2019
New Dark Phoenix Clip Teases the X-Men’s Oldest Frenemies

If there were one relationship that has animated the X-Men franchise for nearly two decades, it would be between Charles Xavier and Magneto. In the first decade of the franchise, these two venerable mutants were portrayed by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, respectively. Charles, better known as Professor X, has long quarreled with Magneto about the best way to handle humanity’s distrust and hatred for the mutant kind. Charles believes they do that by respecting their laws and proving that mutants are people,

By The Credits  |  May 22, 2019
Jean Grey Breaks Bad in new Dark Phoenix Trailer

Daenerys Targaryen isn’t the only powerful women breaking bad these days. Over on the big screen, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones very own Sansa Stark!) is having a moment. The powerful telekinetic mutant and longstanding member of the X-Men (X-people) is headlining Simon Kinberg’s new film. This is so much Jean Grey’s film, they even dropped X-Men from the title. A new trailer brings us all the way back to the very first X-Men movie 20-years ago,

By The Credits  |  May 13, 2019
The Final Trailer for Dark Phoenix Gets Cosmic

“Ladies and gentleman of NASA, this is Charles Xavier. Help is on the way.”

While the X-Men have always done their level best to help humanity, the results rarely work in their favor. They’re still mistrusted, loathed and feared by millions. They’re forever battling a war of perceptions, if not actual wars —often against fellow mutants led by Magneto (Michael Fassbender). And now, in the case of Dark Phoenix, their best-laid plans to help save a crew of astronauts results in a game-changing metamorphosis for one of their own.

By The Credits  |  April 17, 2019
New Footage Highlights Dark Phoenix International Trailer

Last week’s Dark Phoenix trailer did something unexpected; it revealed the death of a major character. At least we were almost certain that the trailer showed Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique dying. Then co-writer/director Simon Kinberg confirmed it.

We get new footage in this international trailer without any major characters shockingly dying on us. This gives us a bit more of the story, including Jessica Chastain’s mysterious evil mentor character.

By Bryan Abrams  |  March 6, 2019
New Dark Phoenix Trailer Reveals Shocking Death of Beloved Character

You know from the opening seconds of the new Dark Phoenix trailer that Jean Grey (Sophie Turner)’s life is no longer totally her own. “Why did you make me do that” she weeps, speaking not so much to herself as to the Dark Phoenix force she now possesses. “She was my friend,” Jean cries. We then see Jean on the street being confronted, lovingly, by Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence.) Mystique tells Jean to focus on her voice.

By Bryan Abrams  |  February 28, 2019
From Hell to Space to Atlantis: Highlights From New York Comic Con

This was the 13th year that the Javits Center hosted New York Comic Con (NYCC), and it was massive. CNBC reports that this year’s NYCC was the biggest in its history, with more than 250,000 tickets sold (in NYCC’s first year, in 2006, they sold a bit more than 12,000 tickets.) This year NYCC also expanded to six other locations (The Credits hosted three panels at one of those locations),

By Bryan Abrams  |  October 10, 2018
NYCC: Sophie Turner Talks Dark Phoenix And Keeping Game of Thrones Secrets

Sophie Turner was possibly the most in-demand talent at New York Comic Con. The Game of Thrones star dropped into the Studio @ NYCC for an hourlong conversation about the colossal crossroads in her career. As she bids farewell to the resilient Sansa Stark, she emerges as the central focus of another epic fanbase. The actress has begun promotion for her starring turn as Jean Grey in crisis as a dark force from within threatens to consume her.

By Kelle Long  |  October 10, 2018
NYCC: Dark Phoenix Comic Con Footage Sends the X-Men Into Space

At a Saturday New York Comic Con appearance for Dark Phoenix, Sophie Turner teased the X-Men’s first big-screen scene in space. The film will see Jean Grey succumb to unstable powers from within. The catastrophic forces will be unleashed by the cosmos. “It’s something we’ve never done. It pushes the bounds for all the X-Men. It’s fun to take it someplace different. This time it was really exciting and made the stakes even higher.

By Kelle Long  |  October 8, 2018
What Dropping X-Men From the Title Reveals About Dark Phoenix

Right up until we saw the first trailer for Dark Phoenix, the title of the film wasn’t officially announced. There was speculation as to whether it would include the prefix ‘X-Men’ as its predecessors had. Previous stories from the universe include X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Dark Phoenix will fall in that arc with several of the cast returning.

By Kelle Long  |  October 3, 2018
What the Cracks in Jean Gray’s Face Mean in the Dark Phoenix Trailer

The first trailer for Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix did a great job reminding us why the X-Men were the gold standard for superhero films for a long time. The X-Men have been around on the big screen a lot longer than the Avengers, and unlike their superhero brethren, who have more or less been greeted by humanity as rock stars (Tony Stark), gods (Thor) and patriots (Captain America), the X-Men have long been outcasts.

By Bryan Abrams  |  October 1, 2018
The First Dark Phoenix Trailer Shows the X-Men Fighting Jean Gray

The first Dark Phoenix trailer is finally here, and it’s epic. 20th Century Fox has released this gangbusters trailer for Simon Kinberg’s upcoming new X-Men movie, which is adapted from one of the most iconic comic storylines of all— “The Dark Phoenix Saga” by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, and John Byrne from 1980. In this story, Jean Grey takes on the Phoenix Force, which imbues her with powers so potent she can barely contain them.

By Bryan Abrams  |  September 27, 2018