Famke Janssen, known for her role as Jean Grey in the original X-Men films, revealed in a recent interview that Marvel Studios has never approached her about reprising the character. She expressed mild surprise at the enduring popularity of the role, which dominates her interviews. Meanwhile, a new X-Men reboot is in development under director Jake Schreier.
Janssen's Reflections on Jean Grey
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Famke Janssen discussed her iconic portrayal of Jean Grey, also known as Phoenix, from the Fox-produced X-Men series. She first appeared in the role in 2000's 'X-Men,' followed by 2003's 'X2: X-Men United' and 2006's 'X-Men: The Last Stand.' Janssen also made brief cameos as the character in 2013's 'The Wolverine' and 2014's 'X-Men: Days of Future Past.'
Janssen noted the persistent interest in her return, stating, 'Every interview I do, that will come up, and of everything I say, that is going to be the only thing that's gonna be printed.' She added, 'I should be flattered, I suppose, that this character has resonated with people. It's been so long, but it's nice that people are still talking about her.' Regarding potential involvement in new projects, she said Marvel has 'never ever' invited her back.
She speculated that questions will continue with upcoming films, mentioning, 'I'm sure every single time there's a new movie that they're doing, like [is it] 'Doomsday?' … it'll come up again.'
Upcoming X-Men Reboot
A new X-Men film is currently in development within the Marvel Studios universe, directed by Jake Schreier, known for 'Thunderbolts*. In an interview with The Playlist, Schreier described the project as 'recognizably different from what came before.' He emphasized the excitement of exploring the rich source material at scale, saying, 'To be able to explore all of the ideas that are inherent to that rich source material, but also at the scale inherent to the source material, that's like a very rare and fortunate opportunity.' No casting details for Jean Grey have been announced.