In 2020, The new mutants was supposed to breathe new life into the X-Men franchise with a darker, horror-inspired spin-off that promised something different.
But, for Josh Boonewriter and director of the film, the experience of bringing it to the screen turned out to be anything but what he hoped for. Boone recently explained why to create The new mutants it was a “traumatic” and “unsatisfactory” process.
From the beginning, The new mutants had to face a tough battle. It arrived just as Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox reshaped Marvel’s cinematic landscape, and its eventual release during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help.
Even before audiences saw it, the film had already been delayed multiple times, moved from studio to studio, and plagued by rumors of reshoots that never actually happened.
When The new mutants finally released in theaters, it was met with disappointment. Despite initial fan enthusiasm and some promising trailers, the final film, a loose adaptation of The Demon Bear Saga, arrived awkwardly. Critics have been harsh and it currently holds a 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Boone, who co-wrote and directed the film, recently reflected on the emotional toll it took. Speaking to The Direct, he said:
“I was one of the writers on New Mutants. It’s so hard because it was really traumatic. The studio was sold and we hit a pandemic… The studio was sold during filming, and then the pandemic hit when they decided to release it.
“And it was so… I had so much fun. I love the cast so much, but making it… it took so many years, and in the end it was so unsatisfying.”
Boone’s words paint a pretty clear picture of a production derailed by corporate chaos and bad timing. Even though it wasn’t a perfect movie, I enjoyed it and the characters it introduced. I particularly liked the concept of an X-Men style horror thriller.
As for whether Boone will ever return to play these characters, he said:
“We didn’t get to make the movie we wanted to make. We made half the movie we wanted to make. And the release was so compromised by the pandemic… I’d rather never do it again, to be honest.”
For the fans, The new mutants will always be one of those “what could have been” stories as a film with potential that never got the proper shot it deserved. And for Boone, it’s clear that the scars of that experience still haunt him.
What do you think of the New Mutants? Did he deserve a better fate?
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
