X-MEN’S LAST
STAND?AFTER TWO YEARS OF DELAYS, X-MEN
SPIN-OFF THE NEW MUTANTS I S
FINALLY HITTING THEATERS. WHAT’S
THE FUTURE OF THE FRANCHISE?By Nick RomanoBefore Disney bought Fox
and took ownership of the
X-Men films, plans for The
New Mutants (originally
slated for release in April
2018) looked a lot differ-
ent. For one, the Maisie
Williams-starring film was
supposed to kick-start
a fresh X-Men trilogy.
Director Josh Boone
made what he calls “a
rubber-reality horror
movie”—about five teen
mutants held at a secret
facility where they’re
haunted by apparitions—
as a spin-off of 2016’s
X-Men: Apocalypse. “It’s
not an upbeat superhero
comedy,” Williams says.
“The trials they’re going
through push this film
down a darker path.”
Then the Fox merger,
announced in December
2017, put Mutants on ice.
Boone recalls that “it was
radio silence for about
a year” before the it was
rescheduled for April 3,- And contrary to
reports, the director says
it is his original cut: “We’ve
never done reshoots.”
But Mutants may be
the last fans hear of
X-Men films for some time.
Peripheral characters
might show up on Marvel’s
Phase 4 slate—including
Disney+ shows—but
there are no other X-Men
movies currently planned.
According to one source,
there isn’t even a new
Deadpool film in active
development, which
is surprising for a money-
making franchise. (In a
nod to comic-book-movie
detractors, Deadpool star
Ryan Reynolds told EW:
“I agree with Martin Scor-
sese and Francis Ford
Coppola that Marvel films
suffer from an alarming
lack of Deadpool.”)
How Mutants fares
remains to be seen:
Like hits Deadpool and
Logan, the 13th X-Men
installment puts a
new spin on the genre.
But con sidering last
year’s Dark Phoenix
was the lowest-grossing
film of the franchise,
Mutants may be as
unlucky as the number.↑ Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton), Illyana Rasputin (Anya
Taylor-Joy), Danielle Moonstar (Blu Hunt), Roberto da Costa
(Henry Zaga), and Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOXAPRIL2020.MOVIES3.LO D.indd 54 FINAL 3/3/20 12:41 PM