Ranking 2019 superhero movies by interest

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 21: Actor Sophie Turner walks onstage at Comic-Con International 2017 “Game Of Thrones” panel And Q+A Session at San Diego Convention Center on July 21, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

6. Dark Phoenix (February 14, 2019)

An adaptation of Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Dark Phoenix Saga, the greatest X-Men story of all time? Sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day date movie, if you ask me. Of course, this is the second time the X-Men films have adapted this epic tale of Jean Grey gaining near-omnipotent powers, if you could the abysmal X-Men: The Last Stand (2005).

This time, however, first-time director Simon Kinberg (the screenwriter for X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse) promised this version would be more “bold and radical.” Moreover, it would take place within the First Class timeline and kick off a brand-new trilogy of X-Men movies. Or at least, that was the plan.

Thing is, this production has had a really tough go of it from the start. First, the previous film, X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) didn’t do so well critically and financially.  Second, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicolas Hoult (who play Charles Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, and Beast respectively) all had to have their contracts renegotiated after already finishing a three-film deal. Then Byran Singer, the director who brought X-Men to the movie-going masses in the first place, was dropped as a producer due to sexual abuse charges. If this wasn’t enough, the studio demanded reshoots, thus delaying the film’s original November 2018 release date.

And that’s not even considering Disney’s deal with 20th Century Fox. Since Marvel Studios would reacquire the film rights to the X-Men, does this make even make Dark Phoenix relevant anymore? Then again, perhaps the belief that this film may or may not somehow tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has reignited interest.