‘X-Men’: ‘Dark Phoenix’ Budget Rumored At $200M Due To Reshoots

A new report claims the budget for the next X-Men film Dark Phoenix has rocketed to a costly $200 million for the studio after the reshoots which delayed the film’s release for the second time.

According to Observer, what could very well be Fox’s final X-Men film in the cinematic universe launched by director Bryan Singer in 2000, Dark Phoenix is “is rumored to have ballooned to an exorbitant $200 million thanks to costly and extensive reshoots.” This information should be taken with a grain of salt, however, as it is rather inconsistent with details that have previously emerged regarding the film.

Dark Phoenix was originally scheduled to hit theaters on November 2, 2018, before being pushed back the first time to February 14, 2019. After reportedly coming in under budget, the film was rumored to undergo significant reshoots following test screenings, with whole set pieces rumored to be in construction for the reshoots.

The reshoots took place in August and September, allowing Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner to participate after completing her work on the final season of the hit HBO series, and cost Fox under $10 million. While rumors swirled that the reshoots for the X-Men film would last up to three months in Montreal, almost as long as principal photography was itself, additional photography ended up lasting two and a half weeks as confirmed by the film’s director Simon Kinberg. The film’s release date was pushed back again to June 7, 2019, to allow time to complete work on the film’s visual effects.

Kinberg, a veteran X-Men producer, makes his directorial debut with the film as the franchise takes another stab at the Dark Phoenix saga, the comic book storyline where Jean Grey struggled to control and succumbed to the Phoenix Force within.

In addition to directing, Kinberg is also producing the film with Hutch Parker and Lauren Schuler Donner. Kinberg himself has been involved with the franchise for just over a decade, having written the main installments of the ongoing film series since The Last Stand with the exception of X-Men: First Class. He also produced Deadpool 2 and is producing The New Mutants.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is directed by Simon Kinberg and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain.

“In DARK PHOENIX, the X-MEN face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a rescue mission in space, Jean is nearly killed when she is hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. Wrestling with this entity inside her, Jean unleashes her powers in ways she can neither comprehend nor contain. With Jean spiraling out of control, and hurting the ones she loves most, she begins to unravel the very fabric that holds the X-Men together. Now, with this family falling apart, they must find a way to unite — not only to save Jean’s soul, but to save our very planet from aliens who wish to weaponize this force and rule the galaxy.”

The film is set to hit theaters on June 7, 2019. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the future of the X-Men franchise as we learn it.

Source: Observer