We’ve been quite curious what Fox has in-store for their seventh installment of the main X-Men franchise with X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Along with what new actors could be joining the cast and who is exactly directing this thing.
Previously, Omega Underground has revealed that Halt and Catch Fire actor Toby Huss auditioned for the role of Hoover (possible Shi’ar alien?) and Billions actress Alexa Swinton could be up for the role of Marie (Rogue?) as she auditioned for the film too.
It’s now being said that Angelina Jolie was being eyed for a key role in the film via Tracking Board’s Jeff Sneider on MeetTheMoviePress. He went on to allude/clarify that she may have passed on the part and it most likely could go to Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain instead, during an exchange with myself on Twitter.
I said on the podcast that I don’t think she’s going to do it. But… we may get a DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY reunion instead 😉
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) June 9, 2017
Jeff is unaware of the role could be but we have to imagine this would be Shi’ar Empire leader Lilandra, who is a key figure in the Dark Phoenix story. The alien also eventually marries Xavier which could finally give him a romantic sub-plot. Chastain has strong on and off-screen chemistry with James McAvoy, so it wouldn’t be a tough sell.
Chastain has been gunning for a superhero or super-villain role for years now, and was almost leads in Marvel films like Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man. She had also been a fan-favourite for the role of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.
Jolie had been linked at one time for the directing gig on Captain Marvel and is eyed for the Bride role in The Bride of Frankenstein reboot alongside Javier Bardem.
Jessica has been seen quite often seen alongside the lead actors of the modern incarnations of the films. They include her Eleanor Rigby co-star James McAovy (Xavier), A Most Violent Year co-star Oscar Issac (Apocalypse), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Kevin Bacon (Shaw), and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique).
She worked with Cable hopeful Brad Pitt on the film Tree of Life and is expected to be working with Josh Brolin (Cable) on a country music film in the near future.
Jessica isn’t a stranger to shooting films in Canada as her films such as Crimson Peak, Miss Sloane, and Mama shot in and around the Toronto area. Nothing is official here, but with the production start looming soon it’s expected most of the bigger named cast has been locked-in and it’s only a matter of time before they’re announced by 20th Century Fox.
We can whole-heartedly put our full support behind Chastain here.
Production will take place this summer in Montreal with a release date announced for November 2nd, 2018.
SOURCE: TRACKING BOARD/MTMP