‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Actor Says Film Is More Of A ‘Drama Versus A Superhero Film’

While many comic book fans are foaming at the mouth at the idea of a Disney/Fox merger, with the X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four finally being integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s still another “X-Men” film coming out later this year, and based on one of the actor’s descriptions, they’re going for something a bit more dramatic.

Actor Tye Sheridan, aka Cyclops, sat down and talked to The Wrap at SXSW. During their discussion, he had some tidbits about the upcoming “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” “Jean goes crazy in the movie,” Sheridan said.

The “Jean” he’s referring to is none other than Jean Grey, resident telepath and telekinetic of the X-Men, who, in the classic “Dark Phoenix” storyline, gets possessed by a cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force, and suddenly decides to take over the universe. So yeah, going a bit “crazy” is an understatement.

“Well, Cyclops doesn’t think she’s going crazy — Cyclops just thinks she’s gotta work some stuff out,” he said. “It’s interesting, the drama in the movie. We treated this movie as much more of a drama versus a superhero film.”

You may be wondering how a film that, at least partially, takes place in space with superpowered teens fighting a cosmic entity and various aliens could be anything but a superhero film, but with the recent success of “Logan,” Fox is all about adding a little bit of drama to their spandex films.

However, saying that an “X-Men” film is going to be dramatic is to be expected. Outside of “Deadpool,” Fox has never been quipy or silly with their superheroes. They’ve always attempted to put the X-Men into the real world, as much as possible.

Many of the “X-Men” films have tried to be serious dramas in the past, with incredibly varying levels of success. It’s either gone well, as in “X2: X-Men United,” or horribly, horribly wrong, as in “X-Men: The Last Stand” and most recently, “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Here’s hoping that Fox, along with writer/director Simon Kinberg (who has been heavily involved with the entire series), have learned from past mistakes, and create something special for what might be the X-Men’s swansong.

Or does it even matter? Inevitably, pending something happens to the Disney/Fox sale, the X-Men will be rebooted when they join the MCU circa 2020.