‘New Mutants’ Still Hasn’t Begun The Massive Reshoots & Could End Up Being R-Rated

With all the talk of the upcoming Fox superhero film “Dark Phoenix,” we almost forgot about the other, incredibly delayed, mutant film the studio has been working on, “The New Mutants.” It’s hard to believe but it’s almost been exactly a year since we got the trailer for the upcoming superhero-meets-horror film. And in the interim 12 months, the film has been delayed twice, and rumors have swirled about the troubles that are going on behind the scenes, including massive reshoots. And in a new interview with Collider, Simon Kinberg, producer on the film, we learn just what we might expect from the film, in terms of rating, and if those reshoots have even happened yet.

As for the reshoots, let’s just rip the band-aid off on that one. While Kinberg doesn’t confirm that massive reshoots are taking place, he does confirm that reshoots are forthcoming. It was rumored that early studio screenings of the film were not great, and Fox wanted to retool the film, adding a new character and embracing the horror tone even more. What the hold up is that has kept the film from going into reshoots up until now is anyone’s guess. Scheduling could be an issue, considering the huge cast, as could the process of writing new scenes, which would be necessary with this sort of additional photography.

READ MORE: Anya Taylor-Joy Admits ‘The New Mutants’ Delay Is “Frustrating”

One thing that Kinberg would comment on is the nature of the film’s rating. Since Fox isn’t so nervous about releasing R-rated superhero films, the question that the producer was asked is whether or not “The New Mutants” is a film that could go a little more adult.

He said:

“It’s the kind of movie that could go R, or it could be a hard PG-13. As I was saying before in terms of subgenres or the genre, it is obviously teased as a horror film, and most horror films these days are R-rated, but it stars a very young cast, so we’ll see. It really is what the movie wants to be. The studio is open to either rating… Traditionally, superhero movies are PG-13 other than ‘Logan’ and the ‘Deadpool’ movies, and generally, horror films are R-rated, so we’ll see where this one falls. It is a very scary, edgy movie.”

Sure, that’s about as much of a non-answer as a guy can give. However, you can’t blame him. With reshoots potentially changing half the film, there’s the chance that Fox decides to use those days to go fully R-rated and try for something truly unique. Ultimately, this is a film featuring teen superheroes and modern-day jump scares, so there’s the strong likelihood that this stays firmly in PG-13.

The big question that isn’t asked of Kinberg is whether or not he expects “The New Mutants” to get delayed for a third time. With “Dark Phoenix” hitting theaters in June 2019, ‘Mutants’ was supposed to follow in August. Now, unless you’re Marvel Studios, releasing two superhero films from the same studio within a two-month window is not only unheard-of but also pretty crazy.

READ MORE: ‘Dark Phoenix’ Director Simon Kinberg Explains The Reshoots & Why Fox Delayed The Film For A Second Time

Conventional wisdom would say that “The New Mutants” is likely to be moved, yet again. Of course, that could all change given the impending Disney/Fox merger. Long story short, while Kinberg can discuss ratings and reshoots, “The New Mutants” is still a long way from being a film ready for theaters, and there’s a lot that can happen between now and next summer.