After months of rumors, it was finally confirmed that the nextX-Men moviewill be calledDark Phoenix, with this new movie rebooting the comic book arc that played out on the big screen inX2: X-Men UnitedandX-Men: The Last Stand. This movie will be set in the 1990s, and Sophie Turner is said to be returning as Jean Grey, although her return has not been confirmed by the studio quite yet. While we’re probably still far away from getting a full cast list, producer Hutch Parker recently hinted that two more iconic characters may be returning.
While promoting his upcoming sci-fi sequelAlien: Covenanton an MTV podcast,Michael Fassbenderhinted that it is “likely” he will will be back as Magneto, although it seems nothing is set in stone yet, and he wouldn’t elaborate more if he will be back forDark PhoenixorThe New Mutants.CinemaBlendcaught up with producer Hutch Parker, who was asked if they have plans to bring both Magneto and Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique back for this 90s-set adventure. Here’s what he had to say below.
“I’d rather not confirm any of those officially, but yes, the current story that we’re working on has that group involved as well as some of the younger characters that we introduced last time.”
It’s possible that the producer’s statement could also mean that James McAvoy (Professor X), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Rose Byrne (Moira McTaggert), Evan Peters (Quicksilver) Alexandra Shipp (Storm) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler) could be back as well. The last update we had on this project was at the end of April, when an unconfirmed rumor claimed that theRoguecharacter will be recast, meaning Anna Paquin will not return to reprise her role. The rumor came from audition tapes that were discovered for this movie, one of which was from Alexa Swinton (Billions), who was reading for the role of “Marie.” Since Rogue’s real name is Marie D’Ancanto, many believe that she was trying out for the Rogue role, but her involvement has yet to be confirmed. When Hutch Parker was asked about Rogue’s involvement, the producer had this to say.
“We’re all sorting out exactly whichmutantswill be part of it, and which ones won’t. It is a bit more expansive than… obviouslyLoganwas a bit more intimate of a story. This one’s a bit more expansive, and you know the comics, so you know how and why. We’re still kind of sorting that through.”
It has also been rumored thatDark Phoenixwill mark the directorial debut of writer-producerSimon Kinberg, but that has yet to be confirmed. 20th Century Fox did recently confirm thatX-Men: Dark Phoenixwill hit theaters on July 17, 2025. The studio is also casting forThe New Mutants, which has been given an July 25, 2025 release date.Game of ThronesstarMaisie Williamswill play Wolfsbane, a.k.a. Rahne Sinclair, in New Mutants, withThe WitchstarAnya Taylor-Joycoming aboard to play Magik, a.k.a. Illya Rasputin, the younger sister of Colossus. That report also claimed thatX-Men: ApocalypsestarAlexandra Shippwill return as Storm, withSophie Turner(Jean Grey),Tye Sheridan(Cyclops) andKodi Smit-McPhee(Nightcrawler) also being eyed to return along withJames McAvoyas Professor X, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
