‘Dark Phoenix’ Star Sophie Turner Unsure About Joining Marvel Cinematic Universe

Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox and other assets is set to be complete in early 2019, likely before the release of the next X-Men movie, Dark Phoenix.

The mutants will be folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe shortly after, though there’s still no indication if they will reboot the franchise or figure out a way to keep some of the current cast members involved. But Jean Grey actress Sophie Turner isn’t sure she’d want to join the MCU.

“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 told EW. “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.”

Many people are guessing that Marvel Studios will make major changes to the mutants, and that Dark Phoenix could be one of the last major X-Men films to come from that franchise.

There’s a lot of pressure on Turner, and it’s not just because this could be the end of this long-running X-Men franchise before a major reboot. This will be the second film to tackle the iconic comic storyline of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” and the first one wasn’t well received.

“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.”

Turner spoke about playing Jean Grey when she’s possessed by the Phoenix, revealing her acting process for filming those scenes.

“You just have to think about mental illness, that you’re trying to hide something that is trying to punch its way out,” Turner said. “It’s going to show itself and a lot of people can relate to that. And when she lets go with what we call Dark Phoenix, it’s a release for her. She finally stops and lets go and is euphoric and she becomes what this cosmic force wants her to be.”

Dark Phoenix premieres in theaters on June 7, 2019.