 When Bryan Singer (qv) was still set to direct, he intended the  Dark Phoenix storyline as the sole focus of the film. He also  intended to feature the villain Emma Frost/White Queen as a major  character, with the role intended for Sigourney Weaver (qv). With  Singers departure, the character of Emma Frost was dropped, and the  Dark Phoenix story was relegated to a subplot in favor of the "cure"  storyline. He also planned on introducing long time fan favorite  Gambit into the film, to serve as both the new recruit as well as a  romantic rival of Icemans for Rogues affection. For the part,  Singer had planned on casting Channing Tatum. However, once he left,  the script was changed, and Gambit was reduced to a minor cameo,  then ultimately dropped from the script.