Next X-Men Film Isn't Titled Supernova but Will Still Most Likely Feature Dark Phoenix

As of late, most of the news on upcoming X-Men films seems to revolve around Logan, and for good reason. #Logan is arguably the best X-Men movie to hit the big screen so far, and has become a very popular topic because of its amazing telling of Wolverine's last adventure.

The early success of Logan has fans eagerly seeking out any information about upcoming films in Fox's cinematic X-Universe.. We know Josh Boone's New Mutants is in the works, but what about that untitled X-Men movie we've been hearing rumblings about?

In addition to Boone's New Mutants, another X-Men movie was announced in late 2016. No information was given at the time, but the film was rumored to be under the working title of Supernova, leading to speculation about the film's possible plot. That aspect of the untitled X-Men film wasn't confirmed or denied until recently. Simon Kinberg addressed the status of the untitled X-Men film, it's working title, and provided a few hints about the plot in an interview with, Slashfilm.

Simon Kinberg Denies Claim of next X-Men Film Being Called: Supernova

Kinberg was first asked to address the question of whether or not the next X-Men film was under the working title of Supernova? Here's Kinberg's response:

It’s not called Supernova. One of the things we do when we make these X-Men movies, to be totally candid, is — any of these movies, it’s on Star Wars, too — is you come up with fake names to throw people off the scent and when you’re out making the movie, the signs that show you where the locations are say Nova, or whatever the fake title is, and people figure it out, and I don’t even know why we do it anymore.

While Kinberg cleared up the rumored title, he still didn't provide us with an actual name for the film. He did, however, offer up a few hints about the possible plot of the the X-Men's next big-screen adventure.

Kinberg Hints at the Story Possibly Being a Dark Phoenix Focused Tale

When asked about the plot of the film, and whether it not the story would center around the Dark Phoenix saga, Kinberg said:

Well, I can’t comment on what we’re doing with this next X-Men movie, but I think a way to talk about it potentially, is to talk about X-Men: The Last Stand, and then that being a Dark Phoenix movie that we didn’t get quite right. I think of maybe a few mistakes we made in that movie — and every movie has mistakes — but the main mistake we made in that movie was taking the Dark Phoenix story, which is such a vast and profound saga, and making it the subplot of the movie as opposed to the main plot of the movie.

The answer to whether or not the film would be a Dark Phoenix story was swiftly dodged by Kinberg, but we should note that Kinberg's comments seem to strongly imply that the story will center around the classic tale.

Kinberg's comments place a lot of emphasis on X-Men: The Last Stand which featured the first live-action portrayal of a #DarkPhoenix story. Kinberg talks about the flaws in the film and where the direction of the story went wrong. However, the more interesting comment he made was a type of hypothetical statement, but if Kinberg was attempting to inadvertently give a hint towards the plot, his next comment may have already given away the central focus of the next X-Men film.

I think if we were to make a Dark Phoenix movie in the future, it would be a Dark Phoenix movie about her struggle, and really should be the A plot and the primary of the movie.

Does Sophie Turner's Part Add More Evidence to the Dark Phoenix Rumors?

If Kinberg was implying that the Untitled X-Men film is centered around a Dark Phoenix story, his hints at the plot in the aforementioned interview would correspond with the news of Sophie Turner returning to play Jean Grey. The actress confirmed her role in the film during a recent interview for Game Of Thrones. Here are Turner's comments in full:

"We’re about to start shooting the next X-Men, we've just finished shooting Season 7 of Thrones, and I've got a couple of movies to do before X-Men starts."

Turner doesn't elaborate on her part in the new film or how it will differ from her part in X-Men: Apocalypse, but if the conclusion of X-Men: Apocalypse gave any indication of where Jean is headed next then we're likely to see the character progress through the Dark Phoenix arc of her history.

If you recall, the conclusion of X-Men: Apocalypse saw Jean (Sophie Turner) unleashing the latent potential of the Dark Phoenix hidden inside her. Jean used the power of the Phoenix to help win the fight against Apocalypse, unlocking the cosmic force known as the Phoenix Force. More importantly, now that Jean has unlocked the Phoenix Force inside of her mind, it will now begin to manifest just as did in the Dark Phoenix story from the comics.

Jean Grey / Dark Phoenix's Comic History

For those who are unfamiliar with Jean Grey and her counterpart, the Phoenix. In the comics, Jean Grey becomes possessed by a cosmic force known as the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix Force imbues Jean with enhanced mutant abilities, making her one of the most formidable mutants in existence. However, Jean's meld with the Phoenix Force isn't all good. Jean also wound up feeling the negative effects of the Phoenix Force as it manifested itself in another form, the Dark Phoenix.

When the Dark Phoenix began to manifest itself in Jean's body, it drove her insane. As a result, Jean wasn't able to handle the internal conflict being waged in her body so the insanity drove Jean to her death.

How Will the Dark Phoenix Factor in the next X-Men Film?

Keeping Dark Phoenix's comic book history in mind, along with Kinberg's indication of his potential X-Men film being a #DarkPhoenix focused story, it appears as if the set up for Jean Grey to become the Dark Phoenix in a new chapter of the X-Men franchise is in the works. It's still to be determined if the Dark Phoenix story is indeed the focus of the next #XMen film, but with all the recent rumors and Kinberg's hints at the plot leaning in that direction, it's fair to assume actress Sophie Turner will be taking center stage as one of the greatest forces the X-Men have ever faced.