With 20th Century Fox’s The New Mutants movie set to go before cameras in July, director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has spoken to Entertainment Weekly about the film, confirming the horror tone (which ComingSoon.net first reported back in November) and other details.
“We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” Boone says. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”
A secret source close to the production also elaborated on the plot, which focuses on mutants during their teenage years, when their powers are new and they are the most dangerous to themselves and others.
Logline: “Held in a secret facility against their will, five new mutants have to battle the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their past. They aren’t out to save the world — they’re just trying to save themselves.”
This continues the trend begun on Deadpool and continued on Logan wherein the stakes are more personal and less global than a typical superhero blockbuster. Unlike those two films, however, The New Mutants is shooting for a PG-13 rating, with a script by Boone and his childhood friend, producer Knate Lee (Bad Grandpa).
RELATED: Maisie Williams is Wolfsbane in New Mutants Art
Boone stated that he loves the fact that “Fox wants to make all these different X-Men spinoffs as drastically different as they can.” He adds: “You can’t have a bigger nerd or fan making this. It’s so important to me. I’m not the 12-year old who decided to write Stephen King a letter and loved Marvel Comics anymore, but I try to hold myself accountable to that kid. Because that kid is what keeps me from becoming a Hollywood whore. I look back and think: Would he think this would be cool? Would he proud of me? Did I fulfill the dream we had when we were kids? So yeah, you can definitely say I’m excited.”
The film is currently set to star Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Witch) as Magik and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who) as Wolfsbane, with Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) heavily rumored to play Sunspot, and Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil) also rumored to join the cast. Nat Wolff was linked to the role of Cannonball but that casting has apparently fallen through, as has James McAvoy making an appearance as Charles Xavier.
The New Mutants adapts the monthly comic book series of the same name that launched in 1982. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, The New Mutants follows on a group of teenage mutants as heroes in training in the Marvel Universe. The feature is expected to be a departure from the sci-fi-action spectacle of other X-Men films and is instead being described as a “Stephen King meets John Hughes”-style horror movie.
Last November, ComingSoon.net exclusively revealed a leaked concept animatic from the film, which features Wolfsbane, Magic and Cannonball facing Demon Bear. Check it out in the player below.
With a release date set for April 13, 2018, we should be hearing quite a few New Mutants cast updates in the days to come, so check back for updates as they become available.
What do you think of the New Mutants movie plot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
