When Fox announced “The New Mutants” more than three years ago, excitement grew. Director Josh Boone of “Stuck in Love” and “The Fault in Our Stars” would be teaming up with famous acting youngsters and TV stars Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”) and Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things”), Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Witch) for a horror-filled superhero-esque thriller. The idea of a left-of-center choice for director, an inspired cast and atypical look at mutants through the lens of a horror film gave audiences reason to think this would be a smashing hit, hoping to climb the superhero charts in true “X-Men” fashion.
But “New Mutants” hit a wall fast and switched release dates over and over again, as 20th Century Fox continued to delay the film. When reports surfaced, it became clear no one at the studio was happy with the film and eventually, it was said nearly half the film was going to be reshot and a new digital character (presumably New Mutant character Warlock), was going to be added in the process. At some point, there were doubts about whether the film would come out at all with many rumors of the film potentially being dumped onto Hulu.
READ MORE: Anya Taylor-Joy Admits ‘The New Mutants’ Delay Is “Frustrating”
All that eventually changed when Disney bought 20th Century Fox and “New Mutant” producer and “X-Men” franchise head Simon Kinberg was pushed to the side and Marvel‘s Kevin Feige was given control of all the Fox Marvel properties. Eventually, the film was pushed to 2020, its fourth release date. The mooted overhaul and reshoots? They would never take place.
READ MORE: Simon Kinberg Downplays ‘New Mutants’ Delays & Says Actors’ Schedules Are To Blame
In the end, Josh Boone was allowed to release his original version of the film, free of studio interference. While the filmmaker has been vocally frustrated about the difficulties behind the scene, the actors have remained mostly silent, with Williams and Heaton progressing their acting careers in their respective TV series. The film was meant to start a chapter for Fox’s mutant franchise, but with Disney now in control, “New Mutants” is likely going to be a one-and-done Fox leftover that the studio is obligated to release, but likely won’t continue forward with as Marvel eventually redoes the entire X-Men franchise.
READ MORE: Disney Isn’t Dumping ‘The New Mutants’ On Hulu But Is Delaying It Until 2020
Here is the official synopsis:
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
READ MORE: ‘The New Mutants’ Pushed Back Due To 50% Of The Film Needing Reshoots
Though this production version of hell can signal a film’s lack of quality, the actors in “The New Mutants” speak for themselves. Joining Williams and Heaton are Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, (“The Originals”) and Alice Braga. Antonio Banderas and Jon Hamm were meant to cameo too, but it seems those intended additions to the film were never shot. Almost every cast member has experience in the horror or superhero genres, and with that in their pocket, expect some solid, believable, and committed performances.
“The New Mutants” will be released by Fox on April 3, 2020.