W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^035
NEW MUTANTS
Leave Them Kids Alone!
and he fi nds himself in this facility.
There is a reason that he is in there
and that reason is very detrimental
to the way he feels about his power
and what he has to overcome.”
The fi ve mutants are rounded out
by Danielle Moonstar aka Mirage.
Played by actress, Blu Hunt, Mirage
can telepathically create illusions
of her opponents' fears or wishes.
Furthermore, if, as reported, The
New Mutants follows the seminal
‘Demon Bear’ saga from the comic
book, it’s this character that the fi lm
will revolve around and the ‘spirit
bear’ that she believes killed her
parents and will come for her next...
Watching over the mutants
is Alice Braga’s Dr Reyes, who
describes her as a therapist who
is guiding them on how they can
manage their powers and go back
to society. “It's funny because it's
a role that is a different generation
from the kids. So I'm the one that
is taking care of them in a sense
of helping them understand their
potential and their powers,” she
says. “In a way, in normal life,
when we’re 15, 16, 17 we’re trying
to fi gure out who we are and what's
our place in the world. The kids
are going through that and I am
the doctor that is taking care of
them and guiding them through
understanding this new world
that they're living in which is being
a mutant.”
The X-Men franchise is as rich as
the group of characters. From the
original comics that began back in
the Sixties and the beloved Nineties
cartoon, to the fi lms that now span
over 20 years (Bryan Singer’s X-Men
came out back in 2000), X-Men
has been a part of our culture for
generations. And that deep lineage
isn’t lost on any of the cast and crew
involved in this latest addition...
“I always loved the X-Men series
because these characters are so
truthful and broken... they're kind
of like the anti-hero,” says Braga.
With the X-Men franchise
hitting heady heights (Logan) and
disappointing lows (Dark Phoenix),
we’re yet to see whether The New
Mutants will spawn a new series of
X-Men fi lms, but it’s something the
cast is preparing for, not least Maisie
Williams who has not long fi nished
being part of a long series of her
own, namely with Game Of Thrones.
“It was strange to sign that new
contract,” she confesses. “We
don’t know what the fi rst movie is
going to do with us, but I’ve signed
another possibly long contract if
they do decide to pick it up for
more. That was a big decision, but
I guess there was familiarity in it.
It’s exciting to be part of something
that is building towards an idea that
you have. In terms of working with
a core group again, it’s also great to
know that I get on so well with these
other mutants, and that this could
be our life for a while.”
A Stephen King meets John
Hughes supernatural horror set in
the X-Men franchise? It certainly
looks like we’ll be seeing more of
our young mutants...
The release date for The New
Mutants is TBC.
IT’S A MAD HOUSE!
With The New Mutants set, and indeed shot, in a real (now abandoned) medical facility, the cast tell us that
some creepy elements were defi nitely present and correct while they were shooting...
“Where we shot one of
the scenes someone had
actually carved this image
on the wall of someone
who had been hung,”
remembers Charlie Heaton.
“I think it was early 1902. I
don’t know who this person
was but it seemed like
somebody had been new
[to the facility] and they’d
carved ‘rest in peace’ and
this mural of someone
who was actually hung in
that building. It defi nitely
has an atmosphere when
you’re walking around, and
when you’re doing night
shoots. It’s a great setting.
[It has a] history and it has
authenticity. For set design
it’s a wonderful place to get
to shoot.”
With The New Mutants
being set primarily in a
medical facility it made
sense for the movie to
be shot in one. In this
case, Medfi eld State
Hospital (originally named
Medfi eld Insane Asylum)
in Massachusetts, was the
chosen setting and it comes
complete with a rich history
of its own. Established in
1892 and closed in 2013,
it was said to be the state’s
fi rst facility for dealing with
chronic mental patients.
Since its closure the
facility been used in a
number of creepy fi lms,
including Shutter Island.
“I think every actor
wants to have as much as
they can around them to
feed off of and being in this
location that already gives
you the creeps is perfect for
what we do,” adds Henry
Zaga. “You don’t have to
imagine much, you already
are in the place that a lot
of people died and went
through horrible things. I
really enjoy fi lming here.
“It’s creepy and it’s
beautiful at the same time
and it looks exactly what
we wanted it to look like.”
W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^035
NEW MUTANTS
Leave Them Kids Alone!
and he fi nds himself in this facility.
There is a reason that he is in there
and that reason is very detrimental
to the way he feels about his power
and what he has to overcome.”
The fi ve mutants are rounded out
by Danielle Moonstar aka Mirage.
Played by actress, Blu Hunt, Mirage
can telepathically create illusions
of her opponents' fears or wishes.
Furthermore, if, as reported, The
New Mutants follows the seminal
‘Demon Bear’ saga from the comic
book, it’s this character that the fi lm
will revolve around and the ‘spirit
bear’ that she believes killed her
parents and will come for her next...
Watching over the mutants
is Alice Braga’s Dr Reyes, who
describes her as a therapist who
is guiding them on how they can
manage their powers and go back
to society. “It's funny because it's
a role that is a different generation
from the kids. So I'm the one that
is taking care of them in a sense
of helping them understand their
potential and their powers,” she
says. “In a way, in normal life,
when we’re 15, 16, 17 we’re trying
to fi gure out who we are and what's
our place in the world. The kids
are going through that and I am
the doctor that is taking care of
them and guiding them through
understanding this new world
that they're living in which is being
a mutant.”
The X-Men franchise is as rich as
the group of characters. From the
original comics that began back in
the Sixties and the beloved Nineties
cartoon, to the fi lms that now span
over 20 years (Bryan Singer’s X-Men
came out back in 2000), X-Men
has been a part of our culture for
generations. And that deep lineage
isn’t lost on any of the cast and crew
involved in this latest addition...
“I always loved the X-Men series
because these characters are so
truthful and broken... they're kind
of like the anti-hero,” says Braga.
With the X-Men franchise
hitting heady heights (Logan) and
disappointing lows (Dark Phoenix),
we’re yet to see whether The New
Mutants will spawn a new series of
X-Men fi lms, but it’s something the
cast is preparing for, not least Maisie
Williams who has not long fi nished
being part of a long series of her
own, namely with Game Of Thrones.
“It was strange to sign that new
contract,” she confesses. “We
don’t know what the fi rst movie is
going to do with us, but I’ve signed
another possibly long contract if
they do decide to pick it up for
more. That was a big decision, but
I guess there was familiarity in it.
It’s exciting to be part of something
that is building towards an idea that
you have. In terms of working with
a core group again, it’s also great to
know that I get on so well with these
other mutants, and that this could
be our life for a while.”
A Stephen King meets John
Hughes supernatural horror set in
the X-Men franchise? It certainly
looks like we’ll be seeing more of
our young mutants...
The release date for The New
Mutants is TBC.
IT’S A MAD HOUSE!
With The New Mutants set, and indeed shot, in a real (now abandoned) medical facility, the cast tell us that
some creepy elements were defi nitely present and correct while they were shooting...
“Where we shot one of
the scenes someone had
actually carved this image
on the wall of someone
who had been hung,”
remembers Charlie Heaton.
“I think it was early 1902. I
don’t know who this person
was but it seemed like
somebody had been new
[to the facility] and they’d
carved ‘rest in peace’ and
this mural of someone
who was actually hung in
that building. It defi nitely
has an atmosphere when
you’re walking around, and
when you’re doing night
shoots. It’s a great setting.
[It has a] history and it has
authenticity. For set design
it’s a wonderful place to get
to shoot.”
With The New Mutants
being set primarily in a
medical facility it made
sense for the movie to
be shot in one. In this
case, Medfi eld State
Hospital (originally named
Medfi eld Insane Asylum)
in Massachusetts, was the
chosen setting and it comes
complete with a rich history
of its own. Established in
1892 and closed in 2013,
it was said to be the state’s
fi rst facility for dealing with
chronic mental patients.
Since its closure the
facility been used in a
number of creepy fi lms,
including Shutter Island.
“I think every actor
wants to have as much as
they can around them to
feed off of and being in this
location that already gives
you the creeps is perfect for
what we do,” adds Henry
Zaga. “You don’t have to
imagine much, you already
are in the place that a lot
of people died and went
through horrible things. I
really enjoy fi lming here.
“It’s creepy and it’s
beautiful at the same time
and it looks exactly what
we wanted it to look like.”
