UPDATE: Here's what time you can expect the Dark Phoenix trailer.
UPDATE 2: Watch the first X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer now!
The trailer for X-Men: Dark Phoenix will premiere tonight during star Sophie Turner's guest spot on The Late Late Show. At one point, the latest entry in the mainline X-Men film series was supposed to premiere later this year, but was pushed back to 2019. Since then, the movie has had a fairly interesting path to the big screen, with (false) rumors about it being pulled from Fox's release schedule popping up amidst reshoots taking place. But the film remains on track for a February 2019 debut.
As of this writing, there are about five months until Dark Phoenix premieres, and curiously official marketing has been limited to some still images of the various characters. Fans are growing impatient for the first trailer, and after one screened at a Fox event in Russia, it looked like the general public would be treated to their initial look at the film in the near future. Now, it's been confirmed the preview will be unveiled tonight.
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Turner took to her official Instagram account, posting a short video that says the Dark Phoenix trailer will air on The Late Late Show. The teaser is essentially a motion-poster of Jean Grey in silhouette, as dialogue from people like Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr hint at the devastation to come. Check it out for yourself in the space below:
It isn't surprising Fox is going to kick off the Dark Phoenix advertising campaign in earnest now. The film's release date is quickly approaching, and premiering the trailer now allows the studio to attach it to screenings of Venom. Opening next week, Venom is expected to be a sizable box office hit, possibly breaking the all-time October opening weekend record. It reads as a smart choice by Fox to try to take advantage of the large crowds Venom is set to draw and promote their own Marvel Comics title. After Venom, the next high-profile tentpole on the calendar is Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in late November, which would be an unideal time to start marketing. As we saw with Solo: A Star Wars Story, truncated campaigns squeezed into three months rarely benefit the film in the long run.
As for what'll be shown in the trailer, it will likely be of the teaser variety, establishing the tone and general themes of Dark Phoenix. It's been said the film is darker than its predecessor, X-Men: Apocalypse, and is more grounded than the previous movies. With that in mind, it'll be interesting to see how first-time director Simon Kinberg approached the material and pulled that off. Since Fox is in the process of merging with Disney, it looks like Dark Phoenix is a lame-duck tentpole, but Fox still wants to end their mutant series on a high note before an inevitable reboot.
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Source: Sophie Turner