By now, it’s clear that Josh Boone‘s ‘New Mutants’ is not like any other movie in 20th Century Fox’s ‘X-Men’ universe. Described by Boone as a “rubber room horror” movie, the promotional material has captured that spooky tone, which was inspired by early issues of the source comic book, which featured the experimental art style of Bill Sienkiewicz. It’s not confirmed but heavily rumored that this film is based on the story arc ‘The Demon Bear’, written by Chris Claremont.
One of the characters featured is Scottish mutant Rahne Sinclair, who in the comics goes by the codename Wolfsbane. She has the ability to transform into a wolf or a half-human/half-wolf hybrid. ‘Game of Thrones” Maisie Williams portrays the tormented Rahne who was raised by an abusive priest, Reverend Craig (played by Happy Anderson). Much later, in the comics, Rahne discovered that Reverend Craig was her actual father, while her mother was a prostitute.
It appears that her strict religious upbringing will heavily influence her character in the film, as you can see in this short video montage shared by the movie’s official Twitter account:
You’re definitely gonna need a higher power. #NewMutants pic.twitter.com/QcOKj2SGWb
— New Mutants (@NewMutantsFilm) December 11, 2017
Williams is joined by Alice Braga as the film’s villain Cecilia Reyes, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik and Henry Zaga as Roberto DaCosta/Sunspot.
The story is set in a mental institution (where Reyes is employed) and Boone cited ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ as an influence, as well as classic horror movies like ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, and ‘The Shining’. The film was pitched as part one of a trilogy, but with the impending sale of Fox’s entertainment division to Disney, plans may change.
‘The New Mutants’, based on a script co-written by Boone and Knate Lee, will be released on April 13, 2018.
