20th Century Fox’s and then Disney’s The New Mutants has been in production, then post-production, then release date hell for so many years, it’s become a running joke not just for fans, but for the director and cast themselves. So much so that the film even trolled itself in the intro video for its Comic-Con at Home panel today, with an animated video of crossed-out release dates and pop-ups of the jokes people have been making on Twitter about the film never coming out. It ended with a confirmation that the movie is indeed still coming to theaters on August 28th – well…maybe.
Director Josh Boone and surprise guest, comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz joined the panel, along with the cast:
- Maisie Williams – Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane
- Anya Taylor Joy – Illyana Rasputin/Magik
- Charlie Heaton – Sam Guthrie/Cannonball
- Blu Hunt – Danielle Moonstar/Mirage
- Henry Zaga – Roberto da Costa/Sunspot
- Alice Braga – Dr. Cecelia Reyes
In case anyone thought they were unaware that their film has become something of a recurring joke, they killed that notion when they poked fun of all the delays and setbacks.
To tide us over until the (definite. Likely… Okay, possible. Fingers crossed?) August 28th release, they brought with them a clip of the opening scene and some extended footage of the movie showing off their powers. “A gift from me and the cast to the most patient fans in the world,” said Boone. “They’ve stuck by us for so long and they’re just hyped to see this movie…hopefully, the opening of the movie will give them something to look forward to.”
Honestly? I think it looks…pretty great. There was plenty of chatter in years past that the reason for the delays was because Fox hated it and then Disney hated it and that it had undergone extensive reshoots (rumors Boone shot down earlier this year). Because of the misleading speculation from certain corners of fandom internet, people may be expecting it to be mediocre if not outright bad. But everything we’ve seen so far looks solid and has only served to intrigue me further, personally. Sure, the actors will all look incredibly young by the time it comes out, and maybe some of the CGI still needs a polish. But the story, adapted from the “Demon Bear Saga,” is an excellent one and the darker horror tone for a comic book movie is an angle fans have been clamoring for for years.
Count me in. I’m rooting like hell for The New Mutants, which has become The Little Movie That Could and hope it does well despite multiple theaters still being closed or practicing social distance seating.
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