The Dark Phoenix X-Men movie has been delayed AGAIN
And a mysterious new Deadpool movie has popped up…
Only days after dropping its first trailer, upcoming X-Men movie Dark Phoenix has seen its release date delayed for a second time, shifting from a planned February 14th release to June according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Considering the film was ORIGINALLY slated to be released this November before being delayed once before, X-Men fans have a particularly long wait to see the fate of Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey and her teammates – and it’s not the only movie to be shuffled around by studio 20th Century Fox.
- Sophie Turner's Jean Grey takes centre stage in first trailer for X-Men: Dark Phoenix
- What's the future of the X-Men movies after Deadpool 2?
- X-Men: New Mutants release gets pushed back 10 months
Robert Rodriguez’ Alita: Battle Angel is being pushed from December 21 to February 14 – Dark Phoenix’s former release date – while the long-gestating Gambit project from Channing Tatum (which was once, believe it or not, set for release in 2016) shifts from June 7 (when Dark Phoenix will now be released) to March 13, 2020.
Still, it’s not all bad news for fans of superheroes – because taking over Alita’s December 21 slot is a surprise untitled Deadpool movie, which many fans believe will be a recut of this year’s Deadpool 2, perhaps with a more child-friendly focus.
Why? Well, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds released a picture of himself in a Santa hat reading a bedtime story to Fred Savage (including a hand-drawn picture of Deadpool 2 baddie Juggernaut), aping Savage’s role in classic fairy-tale The Princess Bride, and possibly implying that a “retold” version of Deadpool is in the works.
But overall this reshuffle is not a good sign for Dark Phoenix, which has been troubled by delays and reshoots during its production, and was still touting its February release date just a couple of days ago when the first trailer was released.
And given that rival studio Marvel will soon be snapping up Fox (and therefore its superhero properties), it remains to be seen just how long this particular franchise of X-Men will be kept around if Marvel decide to add the mutant heroes to their cinematic universe.
Looking for something to watch? X-Men movies in order or check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
