It’s a firmly held belief amongst fans that if Bryan Singer had remained attached to X-Men: The Last Stand, the finished film would’ve remained inline with the first two instalments (i.e. not derivative nonsense.) However, Singer chose to bow out of the third part in favour of Superman Returns, and handed over the reins to Brett Ratner. If you’re not a fan of Ratner’s attempt, Singer still waged some influence over the events of the flick as he did rewrite the franchise’s entire history in Days Of Future Past. But, would he have still done that if his original vision for The Last Stand had remained intact?
Thanks to Comic Book Movie (via Screen Crush), we can now get a look at what Singer had intended for his version – eight years after its release. The main focus of the concept art that’s made its way online revolves around Jean Grey’s transformation into the Dark Phoenix, with hints at a different take on the devastation her changes wreak on the city.
The third part of the original X-Men trilogy is based on The Dark Phoenix Saga comic book series. It’s an esteemed fan favourite, that many were distraught to see utterly butchered in Ratner’s take. Seems that Singer was planning to model the Phoenix on the glimpses of Jean Grey’s alter-ego we’d witnessed in X-2. Gone are the black eyes and bulging veins, that to be honest, made her look like a meth-head, and instead we’re given a Dark Phoenix much more in line with her comic book iteration.
Check out the crop of artwork in the gallery below and be sure to let us know what you think of Bryan Singer’s original take on X-Men: The Last Stand. Do you think Ratner nailed it? Or are you gutted that we never saw this version of the Dark Phoenix? Sound off!
