“The New Mutants” is finally, finally hitting theaters (where theaters are open). Considering the long, winding, and convoluted path this movie took over the last couple years, its eventual theatrical release calls for at least some sort of celebration, right? Josh Boone, the director of “The New Mutants,” seems to think so, as he’s already speaking openly about what projects he’d like to work on next.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Boone stated that he’d love to adapt Marvel’s “Power Pack” comics into an MCU-set family film. The “Power Pack” comic centers around young, super-powered siblings Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie Power, who are often performing their superhero duties without adults present to aid them. Since the series’s genesis in the ’80s, it’s been tailored for younger audiences – this is especially evident in the comic’s relaunch in 2005.
Working on a “Power Pack” children’s film is quite a departure from the sci-fi and horror genre sensibilities he works with in “The New Mutants,” but Boone explains that he was inspired by various comics he read with his young daughter.
“My favorite thing that I read every issue of to my daughter when she was growing up was [‘Power Pack’],” he said. “I do love ‘Power Pack’… I think like a kids’ Marvel movie would be awesome, with the aliens coming and all the dueling alien races, giving them their powers and all that. That would be so much fun.”
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The general idea for a big-screen “Power Pack” adaptation isn’t at all unprecedented. In a statement made in 2018, Marvel’s big boss Kevin Feige cited his interest in the material. “‘Power Pack’ is a property that we’ve been interested in for a long time,” he said. “For many years because we wanted to do something for families, something that’s a little younger… Wouldn’t it be fun to do someday?”
Now, whether or not Feige taps Boone to helm the eventual “Power Pack” is still to be determined. It can be assumed that both Fox and Disney weren’t happy with Boone’s “New Mutants” for the past years – and perhaps they’re still not happy with it, as the film seems to be getting a fairly unceremonious debut during a pandemic. All things considered, Boone might not be at the top of the list for any new Marvel projects. But, like everything nowadays, only time will tell where things stand after the dust settles.
“The New Mutants” will hit theaters and drive-ins in appropriate markets this weekend. Josh Boone’s new fantasy-drama series “The Stand,” based on Stephen King’s 1978 novel of the same title, will stream exclusively on CBS All Access starting December 17.