Last night, word came in that both X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants are being delayed to February 14, 2019 and August 2, 2019, respectively. While this isn't the first time The New Mutants has been pushed back, Dark Phoenix's scheduling shift was somewhat surprising. Originally the seventh main X-Men installment was supposed to be released on November 2, but now we'll have to wait an additional three months to see this franchise adapt The Dark Phoenix Saga a second time. As for why Dark Phoenix was delayed, supposedly it's because the movie will be going through significant reshoots later this year.
According to sources who spoke with Collider, 20th Century Fox recently ran a test screening for X-Men: Dark Phoenix to see what was working and what didn't. After receiving feedback, the movie is going back for reshoots, which is coming nowadays with blockbuster, whether it's just to redo a few scenes or make significant changes to the story. However, in the case of Dark Phoenix, many members of the cast are busy with other projects; particularly Jean Grey herself, Sophie Turner, who is busy shooting Game of Thrones' final season. The earliest the main actors could all reunite was in August or September, which would have only left a couple months to perfect the visual effects. Not wanting to rush the work, Fox decided to push Dark Phoenix to next February so that there would be enough time to finish the reshoots and post-production with some time to spare.
As far as reasons go for postponing a movie, this is a tame one. Scheduling conflicts is an all-too common problem when it comes to filmmaking, and in the case of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, there simply wasn't enough time to do the necessary reshoots and ensure that the movie was ready in time for early November. If pushing Dark Phoenix back three months ultimately leads to the movie being better, then by all means, take that extra time to improve it. Plus, as we saw with Black Panther last month, it is possible for a superhero movie to be commercially successful early in the year.
Taking place nearly a decade after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will follow the superhero team as they deal with Jean Grey after she loses control of her abilities during a mission in space. In addition many of Apocalypse's main players returning for Dark Phoenix, the movie also stars Jessica Chastain as the shapeshifting main antagonist, as well as Daniel Cudmore (who previously played Colossus) and Lamar Johnson in yet-to-be-identified roles.
Once again, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will now be released in theaters on February 14, 2019, so if you're looking to put a superhero spin on that Valentine's Day, you might consider checking out the mutant-led adventure on opening day. Not to worry, though: 2018 won't be entirely without X-Men-related cinematic offerings, as Deadpool 2 comes out on May 18.
