Sophie Turner’s Axed ‘Dark Phoenix’ Look Debuts in Original Ending Concept Art
Zack Sharf
“Dark Phoenix” is already disappearing from movie theaters after a few weeks because of its dismal box office performance, but the debut of new concept art photos are revealing part of the movie fans never got to see. Much of the film’s behind-the-scenes troubles have been well documented, including a drastic overhaul of the film’s third act in reshoots, and the images released by concept artist Houston Sharp detail what would’ve been Sophie Turner’s appearance in the original ending.
Sharp has served as a concept artist on several major studio tentpoles over the last several years, including “Wonder Woman” and its upcoming sequel “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Tomb Raider,” “Rampage,” and Dwayne Johnson’s “Jungle Cruise.” For “Dark Phoenix,” Sharp and the creative team were planning for an ending where Turner’s Jean Grey resembled the fiery look of the character from the comic books. “Dark Phoenix” director Simon Kinberg already went on record saying Jean Grey’s look had to be altered somewhat so the character would not look identical to Brie Larson’s superhero from “Captain Marvel.”
“Dark Phoenix” opened June 7 to some of the worst reviews of the year. The movie’s $33 million opening weekend marked the worst start ever for an “X-Men” movie, and it was followed by a 72.6% drop in its second weekend to notch the record for biggest decline ever for a superhero movie. Kinberg took responsibility for the film’s failures in an interview with KCRW’s “The Business” earlier this month.
“It clearly is a movie that didn’t connect with audiences that didn’t see it, it didn’t connect enough with audiences that did see it. So that’s on me,” Kinberg said.
“Dark Phoenix” is still playing in theaters but lost half its total count in its third weekend. Check out Sharp’s concept art below.
