‘The New Mutants’ was supposed to be in theaters today. Of course, that was before the much anticipated ‘X-Men’ spinoff was delayed not once but twice, ultimately finding itself scheduled for summer 2019. Thanks to these delays (which are supposed to accommodate major reshoots and the addition of a new character), we find ourselves in the odd position of knowing a bit more about the film than we normally do about movies that are still a year out. Perhaps the most interesting element is that the movie is borrowing from the Marvel Studios playbook and making what could be described as “an ‘X-Men’ horror movie”.
But how much emphasis is on the horror versus the super-heroics? Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Charlie Heaton (who plays Cannonball in the film) promises that when it finally hits, ‘The New Mutants’ will be no slouch in the horror department. Given that Heaton’s role on ‘Stranger Things‘ has left him no stranger to horror, this is certainly encouraging news. Here’s what he had to say:
“It’s basically about these mutants in a facility for damaged mutants. It’s a story about these characters coming to grips with who they are and it’s a horror ‘X-Men’ movie, which we haven’t seen before. I feel like, for an ‘X-Men’ movie, yeah, I think they’re going full-fledged horror. Without saying too much – I really don’t want to give away too much what it’s about, it’s very under wraps – but it is, in terms of anything we’ve seen in the X-Men world, it definitely is a horror film. It’s scarier than anything we’ve seen in that genre.”
Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on ‘The New Mutants’ and other upcoming ‘X-Men’ movies as it becomes available!
‘The New Mutants’ is directed by Josh Boone and stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, and Alice Braga. The film is due to arrive in theaters on August 2, 2019.
