We’ve been aware for some time that X-Men: Dark Phoenix would finally take the franchise into outer space. This should have happened a long time ago, since 20th Century Fox had already attempted to adapt the Dark Phoenix Saga. Introducing the Shi'ar Empire was actually a no-brainer.
And then came the announcement that Jessica Chastain would appear in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Based on previous rumors, we all assumed that she would portray Shi’ar leader Empress Lilandra. She did say that she’d make co-star James McAvoy cry:
So far, Chastain’s character has remained unnamed. We just heard a lot of speculation and reports. Most recently, the actress posted via her Instagram account that she isn't actually playing Empress Lilandra. She then quickly deleted the post, but as luck would have it, there’s a screenshot. Check it out, via CBM:
The post disappeared so quickly that fans speculated that she was just trolling. But what if? After all, Simon Kinberg did say that the story wouldn't be too intergalactic. So, what if it isn’t intergalactic at all?
Of course, some might be disappointed, but at the same time, it could open up some opportunities. This is especially true if the rumors that she’ll play Madelyne Pryor turn out to be accurate (with the timeline already in chaos, time-travel shouldn’t be out of the question).
In the comics, Madelyne Prior is a clone of Jean Grey. More importantly, she’s also Cable’s mother. She’ll make her X-Men Movie Universe debut in Deadpool 2, which will hit theaters five months before X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Do you think Jessica Chastain was just trolling?
X-Men: Dark Phoenix will be released on November 2, 2017.
