This is in line with the recent re-branding of the X-Men franchise. The early movies, which appeared in the early aughts, were hopeful, Harry Potterish films — they were loosely allegorical and all somewhat uplifting. Then came Logan, the standalone movie directed by James Mangold. It was much darker than the previous films (it was rated R) and received a generous amount of critical attention. Next up, there's Dark Phoenix, the movie about an evil split personality, and, later next year, there will be The New Mutants, a movie that's all but an X-Men horror film. It's worth noting, too, that the newer X-Men films are all devoid of director Bryan Singer, who helmed the original two films and many thereafter. Simon Kinberg, a frequent X-Men screenwriter, will make his directorial debut on Dark Phoenix.