Josh Boone’s (The Fault In Our Stars, The Stand) Marvel film The New Mutants has had a long, long road to release. The movie was originally shot in 2017, back when Fox was willing and interested in making superhero movies that were a bit off the beaten path (Logan, Deadpool) and they seemed keen on Boone’s idea to make a Marvel horror film. But according to rumor, Fox got cold feet with Boone’s scary approach and asked him to reel it in a bit, requesting more of a teen drama than an all-out horror film. Boone obliged (such a gentleman) and shot the film that Fox wanted: a superhero movie about teenagers that had a lot of horror elements that could still play well with mass audiences.
The movie was set to be released but then two things happened: It came out and did ridiculous business at the box office and the first trailer for The New Mutants, which DID emphasize the horror aspect of the movie, was well-received by audiences. So Fox decided that did want an all-out horror film after all and scheduled reshoots to acquire that. But the reshoots never happened. And the film got delayed. And delayed. And then Disney bought Fox. And The New Mutants withered away on the back burner.
But now the movie is coming out! It has an official release date (April 3) and a new trailer. Watch!
I like Boone but I was never as excited for The New Mutants as others were. Something about the plot — a bunch of young mutants essentially held hostage in a hospital — never did it for me. That being said, I like what I see here. The cast, who have all gone on to great success since filming back in 2017, is great. The direction looks creepy and I’m getting some fun 90s horror vibes from this thing. I’m into it.
More than anything, I can’t wait for interviews with cast and crew as the release date approaches. I am dying to hear what they all say about the endless battle to get this film in theaters. Boone has sworn that this is the movie he wanted to make, it hasn’t been stolen away from him in the editing room by Fox and it hasn’t been reshot by someone else. Boone says the film he promised you back in 2017 is the one you’re about to witness in April. I guess we will see. We will finally see.
