Sophie Turner Feels the Pressure to Get ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Right

The X-Men movies is the longest running superhero franchise currently going on, but it’s since been knocked from the top of the heap by Marvel Studios. And with the IP soon to be absorbed by their Disney counterparts, there’s a lot of pressure on Dark Phoenix to deliver, as it could be the final entry before an impending reboot.

The film also has a lot of expectations from diehard fans, as the maligned X-Men: The Last Stand already attempted to adapt the beloved comic storyline of “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” Jean Grey actress Sophie Turner understands this, according to a recent interview with EW.

“Yes a lot of pressure. I knew Simon [Kinberg, writer and director] was taking me out to lunch and he sits me down and tells me it’s Dark Phoenix and I’m like ‘fuuuuck,’” Turner said. “I know it’s one of the most loved stories of the X-Men universe and for Simon to trust me enough with this responsibility is a big honor. And I want to do the fans of the original story justice, and of course there’s a lot of pressure especially having been done before. Simon would tell you that it was a B-plot of the movie and he felt it had to be the main plot of the movie.”

Kinberg also wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, and he has since acknowledged it as a misstep in the franchise.

“I co-wrote X-Men 3, the ‘Dark Phoenix’ story, which is probably the most sacred of the X-Men storylines in the comics,” Kinberg previously said to the Hollywood Reporter. “Fanboys and girls did not love the movie [X-Men: The Last Stand]. When I wrote X-Men: Days of Future Past years later — it was a time travel story — I thought, ‘Well, here’s an opportunity to rewrite this mistake — bring Jean Grey back to life.’ I got to go back and essentially erase a $200 million movie.”

Given that this could be the end of the franchise before it’s shuffled into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a lot of uncertainty over the future of the X-Men franchise. When asked about whether she’d be open to joining Marvel Studios, Turner seemed unsure.

“I don’t know. I feel the complexities of the X-men being shunned by society and segregated is not something that happens in the Avengers universe,” Turner said. “Of course, I want to see them crossover but I don’t think the themes through X-Men will collaborate well with the Avengers. It’ll be very different. If they do it, I’d love to see how it turns out.”

Dark Phoenix premieres in theaters on June 7, 2019.