We have good news and bad news coming out of the Fox camp today. Let’s start with the good stuff, shall we?
Despite rumors to the contrary, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is still alive and kicking, but the mutant blockbuster is now said to be bracing for three and a half of months of reshoots across parts of Montreal. To put that figure into perspective, Dark Phoenix‘s initial spell in front of the cameras lasted for around three months, which tells us that Simon Kinberg and his team may be changing a significant chunk of the 2019 prequel – or reshooting the entire movie.
Word comes by way of Montreal outlet LaPresse (h/t Omega Underground), where it’s being reported that Dark Phoenix‘s extensive reshoots are already underway, and are expected to stretch into the middle of October – 12 months after Kinberg first yelled “action” on the Montreal set.
The official word from 20th Century Fox pins the blame on Dark Phoenix‘s third act, but ordering three months of additional photography leads us to believe that the studio wants to overhaul its troubled X-Men film from the ground up.
Again, it’s important to note that X-Men: Dark Phoenix is still trudging along in development, though we imagine this latest setback will have a knock-on effect on Fox’s initial February 2019 release date.
Via Twitter:
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX reshoots are reportedly three full months while the original shoot was three and half months (June 28th-October 14th).
They're basically reshooting the film folks, not just the ending. pic.twitter.com/odXggto402
— Christopher Marc (@_ChristopherM) August 9, 2018
Headed up by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner and Jessica Chastain, Dark Phoenix is currently scheduled for release on February 14th – the date once occupied by Gambit, another long-delayed X-Men pic – and it’s nigh on certain that 20th Century Fox will push its cosmic epic further into 2019 at some point in the coming months. Stay tuned for more.