‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Cast: Jessica Chastain Could Play Not So Evil Villain Shi’ar Empress Lilandra
X-Men: Dark Phoenix, or X-Men 7 as some prefer to call it, is a highly anticipated movie for fans as it will finally bring to the big screen one of the most exciting arcs of the franchise, the Dark Phoenix Saga. The latest casting news, which says that actress Jessica Chastain could be tapped to play the role of Shi’ar Empress Lilandra Neramani, is a very welcome one indeed as it gave some hints of where the plot of the upcoming film could be heading.
While the deal is not yet sealed at the moment, Jessica Chastain, an Oscar nominee who starred in The Martian and Interstellar, is eyed for a vital role in the coming X-Men: Dark Phoenix, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If the deal pushes through, Chastain could be playing Empress Lilandra Neramani, touted to be the main villain of the film.
The Cast of X-Men: Dark Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/21LkcZsBFV
— ? (@XMenTea) June 14, 2017
In the comic book and animated series, Empress Lilandra play a very important role in the Dark Phoenix Saga. She heads to earth in search of the corrupted Phoenix, which has taken over Jean Grey’s body and is starting to become a danger not only to herself but to entire cosmos as well.
While it was reported by THR that as Lilandra, Chastain would be playing the upcoming film’s main villain, most fans of the franchise would probably agree that Lilandra’s role is a bit too complicated to be painted in plain black and white. She only has everyone’s best interest in mind when she sought out to destroy the Dark Phoenix before it becomes fully energized. The Phoenix is considered to be one of the most powerful characters in the X-Men universe and a corrupted one could destroy an entire star system in the blink of an eye.
X-MEN: The Dark Phoenix Timeline Revealedhttps://t.co/vHuqGdlR1l pic.twitter.com/LbsVkvteYP
— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) June 15, 2017
It still remains to be seen how the script of the upcoming X-Men 7, which is being written by its director Simon Kinberg, would remain true to the comics source material. The first big screen adaption via The Last Stand was not well-received by fans because it veered too far away from the comic books’ plot and ultimately failed to showcase the god-like powers of the Phoenix Force as well as Jean Greys painful internal struggle.
Meanwhile, actress Sophie Turner has been confirmed to reprise her role as Jean Grey and Phoenix. In fact, a lot of familiar faces will be back in the X-Men: Dark Phoenix including James McAvoy as Professor X, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler.
[Featured Image by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images]
