“She’s all rage, pain, and it’s all coming out at once.” – Professor X
“I’ve seen evil, and I’m looking at it now.” – Magneto
Professor X and Magneto might not agree on much, but in the first X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer, they both recognize what’s at stake as a powerful mutant begins to slide off the rails. That would be Jean, a powerful psychic embodied by Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner, as Simon Kinberg steps into the franchise’s director seat for the first time. Bryan Singer is back as producer, and this installment introduces Jessica Chastain’s shapeshifting villain in this adaptation of a classic-comic storyline hailing from the late-1970s and 1980s.
Dark Phoenix follows Jean as she attempts to move past childhood trauma sourcing back to a car crash (which was unwittingly caused by Jean and her mutant powers) that killed both of her parents. She turns to Magneto for guidance and then struggles against the powerful cosmic being, Phoenix. In the comics, Phoenix fuses with Jean, potentially making her the most powerful mutant of all and one who is capable of incredible destruction. Chastain’s villain aims to harness that combined power for her own ends, and of course, the X-Men must come together to save the world. The gang’s all back together, and they look like they’re into it, but will the story’s spirit shine through, beyond a flashy trailer?
The Dark Phoenix ensemble cast also includes Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto, obviously) Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler). The film arrives in theaters on February 14, 2019.