In 2017, EW was on set for the making of this dark X-Men film.
What happened in the three years since?
Here’s the full story.
Credit: Everett Collection (5)
The set ofThe New Mutantsis uncommonly dark, at least for an X-Men movie.
It certainly doesn’t look like any X-Men release we’ve seen before.
“I can’t believe they’re letting us make this movie!”
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Boone says of Fox studios while taking a break from filming.
“I still am like, ‘Do they know how fed up this movie is?
Now, the film is the last survivor of a discarded superhero franchise.
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The box office may be open but questions about safety protocols inside screenings remain.
The situation surroundingThe New Mutants, in certain respects, still feels somewhat dark.
Promising Beginnings
It was just three years ago when darkness seemed to be this film’s friend.
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The actress, now 24, has thrived in the “dark” genre of horror for years.
This was the first time a director offered her a personalized role without the pressures of auditioning.
Its been a long time coming.
Truer words, as it would turn out, were never said.
Boones rubber-reality horror movie was initially intended to be a spin-off ofX-Men: Apocalypse.
The cast was small and the first chunk of the movie had little to no special effects.
(Sacha Baron Cohenhad been in talks for the role.)
(On set in 2017, EW learned he wasn’t present much in light of those responsibilities.)
Along the way, Fox cut the budget for the movie in half, which prompted further rewrites.
Alice Braga then stepped in shortly before filming commenced.
Its very… thriller, Williams told EW earlier this year.
Its not a happy, upbeat superhero comedy film.
Its definitely very dark.
When Boone says horror, hes not talking aboutThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Its more YA horror.
“A lot of these horror scenes are taken from their own personal lives, he says.
Its not random things that happen to them.
“If you’re a horror fan, you’ll get all that stuff, too.”
Some were dropped altogether, liketheMouse GuardmoviefromThe Maze Runner’s Wes Ball.
Boone wouldn’t revisitThe New Mutantsagain until years later in 2019.
That means the once-planned sequels, envisioned as different kinds of horror movies, are also a no go.
But those plans were scrapped.
But I think in some respects, the lockdown has actually just amped up the level of interest.
People are really rabid for this.”
People may be rabid, but the question remains if they will see the movie.
Drive-in theaters remain open.
We just, too, would like to see people to see it in the theater.
But it needs to obviously be at the right time when its safe to go back.
One might presume they also have dibs onThe New Mutants.
A rep for HBO said the company does not comment on business deals.
Disney reported the film made an estimated $750,000 from Thursday night previews in locations with open theaters.
Multiple outlets, includingA.V.
ClubandIndieWire, are refusing to cover the film until they can see it in a safe environment.
This article was updated with early box office numbers.
Additional reporting by Sara Vilkomerson.
