As of the time of writing this – that is, on August 13th – The New Mutants is still scheduled to be released in theaters on August 28th. If you don’t believe The New Mutants will actually hit screens, you’re not alone – seriously, I think there’s a small part in all of us that is expecting it to be delayed again. Can you blame us? It’s had a tumultuous history of delays, reshoots that never actually happened, trading studios, more delays, delays, and delays like few movies before. And that was even before the coronavirus pandemic turned the Hollywood movie release calendar upside-down. The New Mutants has had such a bumpy ride that it’s evolved from an exciting project, to an internet joke, to The Little Movie That Could, full circle back to being an exciting project if only to finally see what it’s all about.

Here’s a quick breakdown on the long, strange trip The New Mutants has taken to get to our screens.

THE NEW MUTANTS TIMELINE

• May 2015 – Boone is announced as the director of The New Mutants; Knate Lee to write the script
• March 2016 – Producer Simon Kinberg says the script is still being fleshed out
• April 2016 – It’s reported James McAvoy will have a big role as Professor X
• May 2016 – Kinberg confirms Professor X is in the script, says they hope to start shooting at the start of 2017
• August 2016 – It’s reported that Michael H. Weber is working on a new draft of the script
• November 2016 – It’s reported the movie will have a much darker, horror vibe
• Late 2016/early 2017 – Fox pushes back against the straight horror route, wants it to have more of a YA tone
• April 2017 – Project preproduction finally begins in Boston, two years after first being greenlit
• April 2017 – The New Mutants is scheduled for an April 13, 2018 release
• May 2017 – It’s confirmed Professor X is no longer appearing in the movie
• Early June 2017 – Rosario Dawson confirmed for role of Dr. Cecilia Reyes
• Late June 2017 – Rosario Dawson exits the project; Alice Braga replaces her
• Early July 2017 – Final version of script completed. Over a dozen writers have worked on it at this point. It’s a major compromise from the original R-rated, horror movie Boone had envisioned.
• July 10, 2017 – Filming begins in Boston, more than two years after being announced
• September 8, 2017 – IT is released and does huge numbers as a straight horror movie with a young cast
• September 16, 2017 – Filming on New Mutants wraps
• October 2017 – Fox releases New Mutants teaser trailer. It is presented as a straight-up horror movie.
• January 2018 – The release date is pushed back to February 22, 2019 in order to allow for reshoots that will bring it in line with the horror movie Boone wanted to make in the first place
• March 2018 – Reshoots planned for mid-2018
• March 2018 – The release date is pushed back to August 2, 2019. It’s reported Fox now wants at least half the film to be reshot.
• September 2018 – Reshoots expected to begin by the end of the month
• Early March 2019 – Reshoots still haven’t begun with reports they’ve been scrapped entirely
• March 20, 2019 – Disney acquires 20th Century Fox
• Late March 2019 – Reports circulate The New Mutants might not get a theatrical release at all
• April 2019 – Disney announces The New Mutants is still planned but release date might change again
• May 2019 – Release date is pushed back to April 3, 2020. Reshoots planned for late 2019.
• August 2019 – It’s reported Disney is unimpressed with initial cut of the film. Boone & Co. have now been waiting to do reshoots for over a year.
• December 2019 – Boone says the latest version of the film now follows his original version
• January 6, 2020 – The first official trailer for The New Mutants is released, more than two years after the first teaser trailer
• March 7, 2020 – Boone confirms the film is complete. He reveals no reshoots ever took place as the delays were so long the cast had aged too much
• March 12, 2020 – Disney pulls The New Mutants from its release calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• May 2020 – Release date is bumped to August 28, 2020
• July 2020 – New Mutants panel during virtual San Diego Comic-Con confirms August 28th release date
• August 28, 2020 – The New Mutants finally releases…?

It has to be a relief for Josh Boone to know his movie will finally be seen by audiences in just a few weeks. He’s spent five years of his life working on it, starting with his vision, then having that vision compromised only to be told they were back to his vision without reshoots. It’s a testament to him that he’s remained gracious and classy throughout the entire process.

The cast, too, must be excited to finally show it to the world, but it’s an excitement surely tinged with the strangeness of seeing themselves on screen from that long ago. The cast were in their teens or early 20s when the project began; now they’re in their 20s or closer to 30. It’s a formative time in one’s life, that age, and they’ve all grown tremendously as actors since then.

Consider that, since filming wrapped three years ago, Josh Boone has written, directed, and produced the 10-episode The Stand miniseries for CBS All Access as well as penning the scripts for The Pretenders and his second Stephen King adaptation, The Talisman. Maisie Williams shot the last two seasons of Game of Thrones, then shot and wrapped The Owners and Two Weeks to Live. Charlie Heaton shot two more seasons of Stranger Things, No Future and The Souvenir: Part II. Henry Zaga shot TV series Looking for Alaska and Trinkets, as well as landing the role of Nick Andros in Boone’s The Stand adaptation. Blu Hunt, a brand-new newcomer when cast for New Mutants, has gone on to do TV show Another Life. Alice Braga wrapped The Suicide Squad and Eduardo and Monica as well as TV miniseries We Are Who We Are and three more seasons of Queen of the South. And Anya Taylor-Joy? Her career has absolutely blown up: Her wrapped film credits since shooting New Mutants include Glass, Radioactive, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Emma., Here Are the Young Men, and a voice role in Playmobil: The Movie. TV work has included voicing Brea in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and a supporting role in Season 5 of Peaky Blinders.

The New Mutants will function as a sort of time capsule for both the actors and us. We’ll finally get to break it open and see what’s inside on August 28th.

Add The New Mutants to Your Watchlist to be alerted when tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 18th.