Jean Grey (film character)

Last updated
Jean Grey
X-Men character
Jean Last Stand.jpg
Famke Janssen as Jean Grey / Phoenix in X-Men: The Last Stand
First appearance X-Men (2000)
Last appearance Dark Phoenix (2019)
Based on
Jean Grey
by
Adapted by Bryan Singer
Tom DeSanto
Portrayed by Famke Janssen
(2000–2014)
Haley Ramm
(child, 2006)
Sophie Turner
(2016–2019)
Summer Fontana
(child, 2019)
In-universe information
AliasPhoenix
Species Mutant
OccupationScientist / physician
(original timeline)
AffiliationX-Men
FamilyJohn Grey
(father; deceased)
Elaine Grey
(mother; deceased)
Significant otherScott Summers
Logan
NationalityAmerican
Powers and abilities
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis
  • Matter transmutation
  • Precognitive dreams

Jean Grey is a fictional character featured in seven films in the X-Men film series, starting with X-Men (2000) and ending with Dark Phoenix (2019), based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Jean was portrayed by Dutch actress Famke Janssen in five films, with "Jean" in The Wolverine (2013) being a posthumous hallucination in Logan's head and her appearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) being a brief flashforward scene. For the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse , Jean was recast with English actress Sophie Turner, who would reprise her role in Dark Phoenix in 2019.

Contents

Fictional character biography

Early life

X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix each has a flashback sequence for Jean; because of the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, these two flashbacks takes place in two different realities. [1]

In the original timeline, Jean is visited by Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen) after her parents had been concerned about what they believed to be a type of "illness" in their daughter. The girl is shown levitating multiple cars and other objects with her telekinetic powers and the two elder mutants, still friends at the time, invite Jean to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. The professor later explains that while she was young, he put psychic dampers on her mind to help control a supposed "dark side" within her subconscious, preventing her powers from spiraling out of control and hurting others and herself. [P 1]

In the second timeline, Jean is in a car with her parents, causing a car crash with her out-of-control mental powers, killing her mother and leaving her father afraid of his own daughter and refusing to see her later on; Jean is led to believe that her father also died in the crash. She is approached by Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), who tries to help the troubled girl, inviting her to enroll in his school. [P 2]

Background and creation

Development

The casting call for the first X-Men film specifies Jean Grey's character as a "Beautiful and intelligent scientist. Also an X-Man. She has telepathic and telekinetic powers. Engaged to Cyclops and yearned for by Wolverine. Late 20s". [2] Reports from pre-production in 1999 indicated that Jean being written to be a scientist - which she is not in the comics - was due to Beast/Hank McCoy, the team's resident scientist, originally being part of the script but dropped due to budget concerns. [3] Since director Bryan Singer had gone with a younger, teenage portrayal of Rogue (Anna Paquin), he felt that he wanted a more mature Jean in contrast. [4]

He also noted that Jean Grey would have committed suicide by the end, which was redundant with the ending of X2. The "Dark Phoenix" storyline was thus relegated to a secondary substory in The Last Stand. Simon Kinberg was disappointed by this outcome, calling the Dark Phoenix Saga "the ultimate X-Men story" and compared reducing it to a secondary subplot to sidelining the Book of Genesis chapter from The Bible. [5] At one point, Matthew Vaughn (the original director of The Last Stand before Brett Ratner took over) wanted Wolverine to carry Leech with him to Jean to depower her; Penn felt that this was a cop-out and Jean had to pay for her crimes, and depowering her would also not fix her broken state of mind. [6]

The 2019 Dark Phoenix film was originally meant to be a two part storyline, one film named only Phoenix and then Dark Phoenix as its sequel. However, the producers were unhappy with the outcome of X-Men: Apocalypse and cancelled the second sequel, forcing Simon Kinberg to compress his storyline into one film. His original ending had Jean dying at the end, but this ending was poorly received with test audiences for the film and was changed to a more hopeful outcome. [7]

Casting

Sophie Turner and Nicholas Hoult at a Comic-Con panel for X-Men: Apocalypse. SDCC 2015 - Sophie Turner & Nicholas Hoult (19752767692).jpg
Sophie Turner and Nicholas Hoult at a Comic-Con panel for X-Men: Apocalypse.

In 1998, it was rumoured that Julianne Moore was in the talks for the X-Men film at the time, presumably for the role of Jean Grey. [8] [9] Helen Hunt was offered the role, but turned it down, [10] as did Charlize Theron. [11] Peta Wilson auditioned for the role. [12] Ashley Judd, Alicia Witt, Selma Blair, Robin Wright-Penn, Minnie Driver and Maria Bello were also all rumoured to have been auditioning for the role at the time. [13] [14] Lucy Lawless was invited to audition, possibly for the role of Jean, but choose to abstain due to her real life pregnancy and her otherwise busy schedule with Xena: Warrior Princess . [15] In early August 1999, it was reported by Daily Variety that Dutch model turned actress Famke Janssen had been cast as Jean Grey. [14]

For X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning, Chloë Grace Moretz [16] and Saoirse Ronan [17] had been among those who auditioned for the role of the younger Jean. Grace Fulton, who would go to play Mary Bromfield in the DC Extended Universe Shazam films, also auditioned to play Jean. [18] Sophie Turner, after being cast as younger Jean, contacted Famke Janssen about advice on playing the role, but was told that there was nothing that Janssen could teach that her she didn't already know, as well as being wished good luck with the role. [19] To prepare for the role, Turner studied how schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder works in real life. [20]

Characterization and special effects

In X-Men: The Last Stand, Jean's appearance when the Phoenix takes control was created by John Bruno working with Moving Picture Company. MPC used particle systems to create the effect of Jean's hair seemingly moving when the Phoenix effect takes over. MPC made hundreds of skin and eye treatments and used a 3D model of Famke Janssen's face when compositing them into Jean's digital makeup. According to Nicolas Aithadi (MPC),

The idea was that when the Dark Phoenix is taking over, Jean's skin darkens, veining appears on her face, and her eyes go black. We went through hundreds of iterations with different degrees of darkness, with more or fewer visible veins. At the end, we went for a 'less is more' look and made the effect more subtle - but still enough to give Jean a scary look. [21]

Reception

Joe Garza of SlashFilm ranked Jean Grey from the X-Men film series 1st in their "Most Powerful X-Men Characters" list. [22] Alexandra Moroca of CBR.com ranked Jean Grey 1st in their "10 Strongest X-Men In The Fox Movies" list. [23] The A.V. Club ranked Janssen's portrayal of Jean Grey 60th in their "100 best Marvel characters" list. [24]

Famke Janssen received praise from multiple critics for her portrayal of Jean Grey. Scoot Allan of CBR.com ranked Janssen's performance 4th in their "10 Best Performances In The X-Men Movies" list, writing, "Janssen brought the character’s love for Scott Summers and her interest in Wolverine to the big screen. She also perfectly portrayed Jean’s struggle with her powers that ultimately led to her loss of control in X-Men: The Last Stand. Janssen’s portrayal of Jean Grey and her final moments impressed fans." [25] Christian Bone of Starburst ranked Janssen's performance 8th in their "10 Greatest Performances in the X-Men Movies" list, stating, "Though most famous to film fans at the time as the OTT Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye , Famke Janssen proved to be the best choice to bring Jean Grey to life in the original X-Men trilogy. Her Jean is a gentle, caring woman who nonetheless has an apocalyptic power within her that she can’t comprehend." [26] K.J. Stewart of WhatCulture ranked Janssen's performance 25th in their "50 Greatest Performances In Marvel Movies" list, saying, "Janssen has had to portray both the good Jean Grey and the malevolent Phoenix and each role has been performed comfortable. She has conveyed the wise and moral Jean just as well as the evil Phoenix entity." [27] The A.V. Club stated, "Janssen is the emotional anchor of those early X-Men movies, setting a high standard for psychological honesty as a method to cut through some overwhelming X-Men lore that requires a Cerebro to decode. Watching Janssen’s big Moses moment during X2's climax, it’s clear that she’s a pioneer in these massive CGI set-pieces." [24]

Hugh Armitage and Simon Reynolds of Digital Spy called Sophie Turner's portrayal of Jean Grey "hugely likable" across X-Men: Apocalypse . [28] Robin Reynolds of MovieWeb ranked Turner's portrayal as Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix 2nd in their "Sophie Turner's 5 Best Performances" list, writing, "The best part about having Turner play this character is getting to see how Jean transforms over the course of the films. Her acting is top-notch, and she brings so much depth to the character's struggles that anyone can relate." [29]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominated WorkNominee(s)ResultRef.
2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Supporting Actress – Science Fiction X-Men Famke Janssen Nominated [30]
2006 Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Award for Choice Liplock (Shared with Hugh Jackman) X-Men: The Last Stand Nominated [31]
2007 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Won [32]
2017 Kids Choice Awards Favorite Squad X-Men: Apocalypse James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Ben Hardy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Olivia Munn Nominated [33]
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actress Dark Phoenix Sophie Turner Nominated [34]

Merchandising

The Jean Grey from the first 2000 film was released as an action figure by Toy Biz in 2000. The figure has been criticized as "a static, unflattering, and oddly posed representation of Famke Janssen." [35] The 2007 "Dark Phoenix" version of Jean Grey from X-Men: The Last Stand has been released as an action figure in Marvel Legends series. [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Grey</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Jean Elaine Grey is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1. Jean Grey is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants who are born with superhuman abilities. She was born with psionic powers. The character has also been known as Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix at various points in her history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Summers</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-plotter John Byrne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Force (comics)</span> Comic book entity

The Phoenix Force is a fictional entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the Phoenix Force is famous for its central role in The Dark Phoenix Saga storyline, and is frequently linked to Jean Grey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystique (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mystique is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, the character first appeared in Ms. Marvel #16. A member of a subspecies of humanity known as mutants who are born with superhuman abilities, Mystique is a shapeshifter who can mimic the appearance and voice of any person with exquisite precision. Her natural appearance includes blue skin, red hair and yellow eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Famke Janssen</span> Dutch actress and model

Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the X-Men film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the Taken film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity by the United Nations. She made her directorial debut with Bringing Up Bobby in 2011. She is also known for her roles in the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove (2013–2015), FX's Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), and ABC's How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). Janssen starred in the 2017 NBC crime thriller The Blacklist: Redemption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mastermind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of the X-Men. The original Mastermind was a mutant with the psionic ability to generate complex telepathic illusions at will that cause his victims to see whatever he wishes them to see. He was a founding member of the first Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and later a probationary member of the Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, where he played an important role in "The Dark Phoenix Saga".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dark Phoenix Saga</span> Marvel Comics X-Men storyline

"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, the storyline first appeared in X-Men #129. It focuses on the superhero Jean Grey and the cosmic entity Phoenix Force. The storyline commonly refers to the story in Uncanny X-Men #129–138 of Jean Grey's corruption by the power of the Phoenix and the Hellfire Club, the destruction she causes, and ultimately her death. Sometimes included is Jean Grey's assumption of the Phoenix power and the repair of the M'Kraan Crystal in Uncanny X-Men #101–108.

<i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i> 2006 film by Brett Ratner

X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film based on the X-Men comic books published by Marvel Entertainment Group. It is the sequel to X2, as well as the third installment in the X-Men film series, and was directed by Brett Ratner. It features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, and Patrick Stewart. Written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn, the film is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs, "Gifted" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga", with a plot that revolves around a "mutant cure" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the resurrection of Jean Grey who unleashes a dark force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azazel (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel comics character

Azazel is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chuck Austen and Sean Philips, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #428. He belongs to the subspecies of humans named mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. He is the father of the X-Men's Kiwi Black and was originally the father of Nightcrawler as well until that was retconned in 2023.

X-Men is an American superhero film series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. 20th Century Fox obtained the film rights to the team and other related characters in 1994 for $2.6 million. After numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct the first film, released in 2000, and its sequel, X2 (2003), while the third installment of the original trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), was directed by Brett Ratner.

Jean Grey is a member of the X-Men, and has been included in almost every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise, including film, television and video games.

This is a list of all media appearances of the Marvel Comics character Cyclops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambit in other media</span> Appearances of Gambit in cinema, television and video games

This is a list of non-comics media appearances of Gambit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Men in other media</span> Overview of X-Men in other media

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books and other forms of media.

<i>X-Men: Apocalypse</i> 2016 film by Bryan Singer

X-Men: Apocalypse is a 2016 American superhero film directed and produced by Bryan Singer and written by Simon Kinberg from a story by Singer, Kinberg, Michael Dougherty, and Dan Harris. The film is based on the fictional X-Men characters that appear in Marvel Comics. It is the sixth mainline installment in the X-Men film series and the ninth installment overall. It is the sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, and Lucas Till. In the film, the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse is inadvertently revived in 1983, and he plans to wipe out modern civilization and take over the world, leading the X-Men to try to stop him and defeat his team of mutants.

<i>Dark Phoenix</i> (film) 2019 film by Simon Kinberg

Dark Phoenix is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics X-Men characters. It is a sequel to 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, the twelfth installment overall in the X-Men film series, and the fourth and final installment of the prequel films. It marks the first X-Men film without the involvement of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and the last to be produced by Bad Hat Harry Productions, though the company was uncredited due to sexual assault allegations made against Bryan Singer on January 23, 2019. It was produced, written, and directed by Simon Kinberg and stars an ensemble cast featuring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Jessica Chastain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magneto (film character)</span> Fictional character of 2000-19 X-Men film series

Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, is a character primarily portrayed by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, he has appeared in eight installments of the franchise. McKellen played Magneto in the original trilogy films X-Men (2000), X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), in addition to making a cameo in The Wolverine (2013); while Fassbender portrayed a younger version of the character in the prequel films X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Dark Phoenix (2019). Both actors' iterations appeared in different time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Maximoff</span> Fictional character appearing in the X-Men film series

Peter Maximoff is a fictional character appearing in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series, portrayed by Evan Peters and based on the Marvel Comics character Quicksilver, a mutant with the ability to move at superhuman speed. The character appeared in the films X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and Dark Phoenix (2019), and had a cameo appearance in Deadpool 2 (2018).

References

Primary

  1. Brett Ratner (director); Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn (writers) (May 26, 2006). X-Men: The Last Stand . 20th Century Fox.
  2. Simon Kinberg (director and writer) (June 7, 2019). Dark Phoenix . 20th Century Fox.

Secondary

  1. "The X-Men Timeline". The Artifice. November 29, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  2. "X-MEN casting call desires..." Ain't It Cool News. May 11, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  3. "X-Men - Second Archive". Coming Attractions. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000.
  4. Paul Wardle (August 2000). "X-Men: Filming Marvel superheroes". Cinefantastique . Vol. 32, no. 2. pp. 12–22.
  5. Thomas Golianopoulos (June 6, 2019). "The X-Men's Never-Ending 'Dark Phoenix Saga' Saga". The Ringer . Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  6. Steve Biodrowski (June 12, 2006). "Q&A: X-Men 3 writers Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  7. Michael Curley (August 26, 2020). "'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Will Never Rise from the Ashes". PopMatters . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  8. Peter Howell (October 23, 1998). "Film, not talk, Singer's thing". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 20, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  9. "More X-MEN Casting Rumors". Ain't It Cool News. October 29, 1998. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  10. "11 Actors Who Were Almost 'X-Men'". Hollywood.com. May 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  11. Rachel Labonte (July 15, 2020). "Charlize Theron Turned Down Jean Grey Role In X-Men". Screen Rant . Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  12. Will Murray (June 2003). "In Hot Blood". Starlog . No. 311. Pete Wilson (interviewed). Starlog Group, Inc. pp. 76–79.
  13. "X-Men - Third Archive". Corona Coming Attractions. June 12, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  14. 1 2 "THE UNCANNY X-MEN". Backstage Pass. October 13, 1999. Archived from the original on October 13, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  15. "Lucy in the Sky". Herald Sun . Melbourne, Australia. November 16, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2020 via Australian Lucy Lawless Fan Site.
  16. Jeff Sneider (November 18, 2014). "'X-Men: Apocalypse': Who's Being Eyed to Play Young Jean Grey, Cyclops? (Exclusive)". The Wrap . Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. Joseph Dooley (April 2, 2018). "X-Men: 8 Possible Castings Better Than What We Got (And 7 Worse)". cbr.com. Comic Book Resources . Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  18. Anderson, Jenna (February 21, 2023). "Shazam! Fury of the Gods Star Auditioned for a Surprising X-Men Role". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  19. Marc Lupo (October 19, 2017). "Famke Janssen Speaks Candidly About Her Departure From 'X-Men': Producers 'Gave Up On Me'". usmagazine.com. Us Weekly . Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  20. Tim Stack (December 7, 2017). "X-Men: Dark Phoenix heats up EW's First Look Issue". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  21. Duncan, Jody (July 2006). "Dark Phoenix Rising". Cinefex (106): 36–65.
  22. Garza, Joe (2022-07-17). "The Most Powerful X-Men Characters Ranked". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  23. Moroca, Alexandra (2022-03-12). "10 Strongest X-Men In The Fox Movies, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  24. 1 2 "The 100 best Marvel characters ranked: 60-41". The A.V. Club. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  25. Allan, Scoot (2022-06-14). "10 Best Performances In The X-Men Movies". CBR. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  26. "10 Greatest Performances in the X-Men Movies". STARBURST Magazine. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  27. Stewart, K. J. (2015-03-14). "50 Greatest Performances In Marvel Movies". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  28. Reynolds, Simon (2019-06-05). "X-Men movies ranked worst to best". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  29. Reynolds, Robin (2022-07-24). "Sophie Turner's 5 Best Performances, Ranked". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  30. "Famke Janssen Movies & TV Shows - How many have you seen?". www.throughtheclutter.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  31. "Famke Janssen". www.mymoviepicker.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  32. "'Superman' tops Saturns". Variety. 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  33. Levy, Dani (2 February 2017). "Justin Timberlake and Kevin Hart Lead Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards Nominations". Variety . Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  34. Moreau, Jordan (19 June 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  35. Darby Harn (May 24, 2020). "10 Worst X-Men Action Figures, Ranked". cbr.com. Comic Book Resources . Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  36. "Jean Grey (X3) - Marvel Legends - Blob Series - Hasbro Action Figure". May 18, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2020.