After weeks of rumors,Jessica Chastainconfirmed last month that she has been cast inX-Men: Dark Phoenix. While her character was never announced, it was rumored that she was playing Shi’ar Empress Lilandra, and the actress' cryptic social media comments towards co-star James McAvoy hinted that she was playing a villain, claiming that she’s going to make him ‘cry so hard’. The actress has now confirmed that today is her first day of shooting onX-Men: Dark Phoenix, with a humorous video of a “double rainbow” in Montreal. But she also went one step further in a now-deleted comment, saying that she actually isn’t playing Lilandra. Here’s what the actress had to say in the deleted comment.
“Hey folks, want a scoop? Im not playing Lilandra…”
Even after the comment was deleted onJessica Chastain’s Instagram, it sparked a flurry of comments from fans, speculating about whether or not she will actually be playing theDark Phoenix, the entity that takes over Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). Unfortunately, the actress wouldn’t clarify who she’s playing, and it’s possible her deleted comment was done to throw fans off, until the official announcement is made. Still, we likely won’t find out who she’s playing for quite some time, with production just recently getting under way, and very little confirmed about the story thus far.
Another suggestion as to who Jessica Chastain may be playing is an older version ofJean Grey. If that is the case, then there will be three different actresses playing Jean Grey in the film, Sophie Turner as the primary version, set in the 1990s, with Summer Fontana cast to play the younger Jean Grey. Given that she was rumored early on as a villainous character, this theory may not be valid, since there has been very little confirmed about the movie, it could turn out to be true.
Regardless of who she’s playing, Jessica Chastain joins a cast that includesX-Men franchisestars such as James McAvoy (Professor Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Evan Peters (Quicksilver). Newcomers include Lamar Johnson in an unspecified role, Halston Sage as the mutant pop star Dazzler, with Olivia Munn rumored to return as Psylocke fromX-Men: Apocalypse. It remains to be seen if more cast members or characters will be added and/or confirmed as production continues.
Simon Kinbergwill make his directorial debut onX-Men: Dark Phoenix, working from his own script, based on The Dark Phoenix Saga comics by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. The writer-director will also produce alongside Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner and Hutch Parker, with 20th Century Fox setting a July 05, 2025 release date forX-Men: Dark Phoenix, which will go up against Disney’s live-actionMulanandThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Take a look at Jessica Chastain’s Instagram video below from theX-Men: Dark Phoenixset below.
