As sets go, then, it’s one of the more striking
Empirehas ever set foot on. It certainly makes
a change from the traditional superhero movie
location: an airless hangar decked out with
mountains of green screen. “We didn’t want
a CGI paint job,” Boone says. “Cuckoo’s Nest,
The Shining,Girl, Interrupted: these are the
references we’re going for. Fox wanted
something as different to your typicalX-Men
movie asDeadpoolandLogan, but I think we’ve
pushed it further. Honestly, I can’t believe what
they’ve let us do.”
Boone is an energetic presence on set:
a proudly geeky fanboy (decked out in a Douglas
Adams T-shirt adorned with Stephen King
badges), who’s so comics-obsessed that he refers
to his own childhood as his “origin story”. With
good reason.
“My parents were evangelical Christians,”
he reveals. “They believed in demons, the
rapture, all that stuff.” As a teenager, he would
stash Marvel comics and horror novels under
his mattress to avoid his mum and dad tossing
them in the furnace. “They burned my copy
of Stephen King ’sThe Stand,” he laughs.
“But they’re much less fervent now. They’re
visiting the set today, actually...” With
comedically perfect timing, they pass and give
us a cheery wave. They certainly don’tlook
like book-burners.
Boone’s “origin story” seeps naturally
intoThe New Mutants, since the film is, at
its core, about troubled adolescence. His
co-writer, and childhood friend, Knate Lee
tells us: “So much of our youth was spent
watching movies because we were grounded
and couldn’t go out. So, these kids are like
we were: trapped somewhere they don’t
want to be, butting heads, bumping up
against authority.”
Boone and Lee’s journey onNew Mutants
officially began six years ago, but its roots go
back much further. The pair grew up as Marvel
fanatics in suburban Virginia, spending their
rare non-grounded hours acting out their
favourite comics into a boombox. So when, in
2014, Boone completed work on young adult
romanceThe Fault In Our Stars, he and Lee
decided to pitch Fox their real passion project:
anX-Menspin-off featuring an exciting young
cast (Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy), based
around Bill Sienkiewicz’s superbly creepy
mid-’80sNew Mutantscomics. They were intent
on creating a superhero film that wasn’treally
a superhero film at all, more a coming-of-age
horror. Female-driven, with a gay love story
at its heart, it would be unlike anything else that
had come before it. “No capes, no costumes,”
says Boone. “It’sThe Breakfast Clubmeets
The Shining.”IF THE INFLUENCE OF KUBRICK’S
horror is apparent in the location, the ghost of
John Hughes comes through clearly in the scene
Empireis watching here.
In the institute’s grimy ‘day room’, the air
is thick with teen angst. Sam, aka Cannonball
(Charlie Heaton), is sporting black eyes and
a bandaged arm, due to notquitehaving nailed
his flying skills yet (“I can take off, but I have
trouble landing,” laughs Heaton later). At the
foosball table, he trades insults with solar-
harnessing Roberto, aka Sunspot (Henry Zaga),
while new arrival Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt) is
cruelly taunted by Anya Taylor-Joy’s Russian-
accented Illyana, aka Magik. “You don’t even
know what your powers are,” Illyana sneers
before pouncing on the newbie. Behind them,
Roberto punches the air with glee: “Catfight!”
“I’ve played crazy before,” Taylor-Joy tells
Empirebetween takes, “but not like this. Illyana’s
like a stray cat backed into a corner. She doesn’t
give a rat’s ass about anybody.” The idea of these
kids being frightened — rather than excited by —
their superpowers intrigued her. “We’re treating
these characters like real people, and it would be
really terrifying to have your body develop powers
that could potentially injure someone. All these
kids are damaged. They’re cooped up in this cage,
trying to come to terms with themselves.” ❯Above:Director
Josh Boone
confers with
Anya Taylor-Joy.
Here:Stranger
Things’ Charlie
Heaton as
Sam Guthrie/
Cannonball,
who can propel
himself into
the air.Here:Maisie
Williams as
Scottish mutant
Rahne Sinclair,
aka Wolfbane,
who can
transform into
lupine form.
Below:Hunt
filming with Alice
Braga’s doctor,
Cecilia Reyes.