Actress Olivia Munn is currently busy promoting The LEGO Ninjago Movie, for which she provides one of the voices. But, being also a cast member of the X-Men cinematic universe, she’s inevitably facing questioning about the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Written and directed by long-time X-Men franchise collaborator Simon Kinberg (in his directorial debut), the film is highly anticipated, but shrouded in secrecy. In conversation with Collider, however, Olivia Munn appears to have revealed that the film will be the first of two parts.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I’m supposed to be vague. That’s my answer. I’m horrible at that. It’s like a two parter, this movie. That’s more than I’ve said, in general. I don’t know why people have to be so secretive.”
The story of Dark Phoenix is a popular one in the comic book world – and certainly lends itself to a two-part format. The tale charts what is arguably the most significant part of the character arc of Jean Grey – as she loses control of her devastatingly powerful telepathic and telekinetic powers, and becomes Dark Phoenix. The extreme potential of these powers draws the attention of the alien race Shi’ar, and their Empress Lilandra, who seeks to destroy the Dark Phoenix because she poses a threat to the universe.
The film sees Sophie Turner reprise her role as the young Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as the young Cyclops, Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier. They’re joined by regular cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Evan Peters. Notably, Jessica Chastain has also climbed on board the production.
Olivia Munn’s focus, however, is her character Psylocke, who first appeared in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Given the choice, Munn would choose Psylocke’s powers above all others.
“I would take on Psylocke’s powers, to be able to create anything with your mind. That’s why Psylocke was always one of my favorite X-Men characters. The fact that she could create anything with her mind, but she still chooses to fight – she wants the challenge.”
Munn also went to great lengths to reaffirm her support for writer-director Simon Kinberg who, for the first time, is at the helm of a feature length movie.
“I love Simon Kinberg. He’s such a visionary. We’re all so close. Anytime that you’re working on a project where everyone hangs out and they’re close, it’s a breeding ground for great content and a great experience. I think Simon is gonna kill it. He’s gonna do such a fantastic job with it. When I came on, he pitched me to be Psylocke, and I didn’t know him until I worked on that movie, but you see how everyone is friends and they hang out. It’s really cool!”
As with any big-budget, big-cast film, this element – the chemistry between the characters involved – will play a significant part in determining the success of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, whether it’s a two-part story or not. Currently, we only have this comment from Olivia Munn as evidence – and we may not see any official confirmation until much closer to the film’s release on November 2nd, 2018. We will, however, be sure to keep you posted once any further updates arise.