EXCLUSIVE
The New Mutants details revealed: X-Men franchise goes horror

SARA VILKOMERSON@VILKOMERSON
POSTED ON MAY 25, 2017 AT 8:50AM EDT

The New Mutants, the long anticipated X-Men spinoff movie, is going to be a comic book film that goes in an unusual direction. “We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” director Josh Boone says. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”

Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams has been cast in the role of Wolfsbane and Split actress Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik. Sources close to the production say that Henry Zaga, seen most recently in 13 Reasons Why (where he played Tony’s boyfriend, Brad), will soon be announced in the role of Sunspot. (Unconfirmed chatter has it that Rosario Dawson is currently in talks as well.)

The New Mutants, which was created by Chris Claremont in the early ’80s, is about a group of teenage mutants, a kind of superheroes-in-training, who must learn to control their powers. When artist Bill Sienkiewicz — whom Boone calls “one of the most amazing comic book artists ever” — came aboard for No. 18 in 1984, the series took a turn for what Boone describes as, “a darker and more surreal and impressionistic X-Men series than we’d ever seen before. It felt like Stephen King meets John Hughes.”

It’s this run of the comic that inspired what we’ll see in The New Mutants which is currently scheduled for a spring 2018 release (and shooting for a PG-13 rating). Boone is keeping mum on actual plot details, but a source close to the project explained how mutants are at their most dangerous (both to themselves and others) when their powers are new. (Like, say, their teenage years!) Says the source: “Held in a secret facility against their will, five new mutants have to battle the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their past. They aren’t out to save the world — they’re just trying to save themselves.”

As for Boone, whose steady hand guided 2012’s The Fault in Our Stars to $307 million worldwide (on a budget of about $12 million), this project holds deep personal ties. For starters, he’s doing it with his lifelong best friend, fellow Virginia Beach native, and fellow filmmaker, Knate Lee.

“I was raised by very religious parents,” says Boone. “They were Evangelical Southern Baptists and they believed in the rapture; they believed the devil was real; they believed in demons. Knate grew up in a similar environment and our entire lives we sort of hung on to each other as tight as we could. That’s how we got through the craziness we grew up in.”

When Boone and Lee were 12 years old, they were obsessed with Stephen King and with Marvel Comics. (Boone hid a copy of The Stand under his mattress the way some teens stash pornography. He later struck up a pen-pal relationship with King and is currently attached to adapt The Stand in the future.) Boone and Lee even started their own comic book company, which they would (with parental help) bind and sell to relatives.

It proved handy when the duo went to Fox to pitch their idea for The New Mutants. “We made a comic book with what our vision of the series would be,” says Boone. “We love that Fox wants to make all these different X-Men spinoffs as drastically different as they can.”

Boone wants to assure fellow fans that he’s one of them and that he’s taking this responsibility very, very seriously. “You can’t have a bigger nerd or fan making this. It’s so important to me. I’m not the 12-year-old who decided to write Stephen King a letter and loved Marvel Comics anymore, but I try to hold myself accountable to that kid. Because that kid is what keeps me from becoming a Hollywood whore,” he says with a laugh. “I look back and think: Would he think this would be cool? Would he proud of me? Did I fulfill the dream we had when we were kids?”

Boone lets out another chuckle. “So yeah, you can definitely say I’m excited.”

The New Mutants is scheduled to go into production in July.

“We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” director Josh Boone says. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”

MAY 31, 2017 12:43pm PT by Borys Kit
'Stranger Things' Star Charlie Heaton in Talks to Join 'X-Men' Spinoff 'New Mutants' (Exclusive)

Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton is joining the X-Men family.

The actor, who plays brooding outsider Jonathan Bryers on the Netflix phenomenon, is in negotiations to join the cast of Fox’s New Mutants.

The Witch and Split star Anya Taylor-Joy and Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams are already signed up for the ensemble young adult superhero movie being directed by Josh Boone. Rosario Dawson is also in negotiations to join the cast.

Heaton will play Sam Guthrie, also known as Cannonball, a teen who propels himself into the air (…like a cannonball) and is invulnerable while doing so.

Taylor-Joy is playing Illyana Rasputin, code-named Magik, a girl who has learned sorcery and uses teleportation discs to travel. Williams is Rahne Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane, a girl struggling to reconcile her religious beliefs with her power to turn into a wolf. Dawson is to play a mentor figure, a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself.

The studio is looking to redefine the superhero genre as it did with Deadpool and Logan, and is focusing on giving the spinoff a horror thriller bent. It will tell of diverse group of teens learning to cope with their super powers. The group also includes Native American Danielle Moonstar and a Brazilian ladies man code-named Sunspot. Also in the mix is an alien named Warlock. These new mutants find themselves held in a secret facility against their will and must battle the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their pasts

New Mutants has a release date of April 13, 2018. Boone and his writing partner, Knate Lee, wrote the script for the project, which will shoot in Boston in July.

Heaton was one of the breakout stars of Stranger Things and New Mutants marks the first feature project he’s signed on for since the show was released. He starred in two films, the thriller Shut In with Naomi Watts and the Sundance indie As You Are, which were made prior to Stranger Things.

Heaton is repped by Gersh.

‘13 Reasons Why’ Actor Henry Zaga to Play Sunspot in ‘New Mutants’
Film Reporter Justin Kroll @krolljvar
JUNE 1, 2017 | 12:18PM PT

Henry Zaga will play Sunspot in X-Men spinoff “New Mutants.”

Josh Boone is directing the Fox movie from a script he co-wrote with Knate Lee. Boone announced the news on his Instagram account.

Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of “The Witch” and “Split,” “Game of Thrones” actress Maisie Williams, and Rosario Dawson previously signed on to star in the ensemble young adult superhero movie.

The film is headed toward an early July production start. Simon Kinberg and Karen Rosenfelt are producing.

“New Mutants,” created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, was the first X-Men comic spinoff, launched in the early 1980s.

In the vein of “Deadpool” and “Logan”, Fox/Marvel redefines the superhero genre once again with the horror thriller, “The New Mutants.” Mutants are at their most dangerous, both to themselves and others, when their powers are new, especially because mutation reveals itself during the teenage years. Held in a secret facility against their will, five new mutants have to battle the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their pasts. They aren’t out to save the world – they’re just trying to stay alive.

“New Mutants” has a release date of April 13, 2018.

The Brazilian thesp Zaga was most recently seen in the Netflix hit series “13 Reasons Why.”

Zaga is repped by WME.

UNE 02, 2017 11:26am PT by Borys Kit
Fox's 'New Mutants' Casts Newcomer Blu Hunt In Danielle Moonstar Role (Exclusive)
The actress was quickly signed by CAA hot off an international search by the studio making the 'X-Men' spinoff.

After an international search, the final New Mutant has been found.

Blu Hunt, a relative newcomer who appeared in a handful of episodes of The Originals, has nabbed the lead role of Danielle Moonstar, the Native American telepath, in Josh Boone’s X-Men spinoff, New Mutants.

The Fox movie has been casting up in recent weeks with the roll call including The Witch and Split star Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, and Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton. Rosario Dawson is also in talks while 13 Reasons Why actor Henry Zaga is also a recent addition.

The studio is looking to redefine the superhero genre as it did with Deadpool and Logan, and is focusing on giving the spinoff a horror-thriller bent. It will tell of a five diverse teens learning to cope with their superpowers who must escape a secret facility in which they are being held against their will.

Taylor-Joy will play Illyana Rasputin, code-named Magik, a girl who has learned sorcery and uses teleportation discs to travel. Williams will portray Rahne Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane, a Scottish girl struggling to reconcile her religious beliefs with her power to turn into a wolf. Heaton is playing a Kentuckian code-named Cannonball, who can propel himself into the air and is invulnerable while doing so. Zaga is playing Sunspot, a self-styled ladies man who hails from Brazil.

The last role to be filled was Moonstar, a character is who is Native American and who has the power to create illusions drawn from the fears and desires of a person's mind. The character is not only perhaps the most important in the script – according to sources, the movie’s plot leans heavily on the classic Demon Bear storyline that ran in the pages of the Marvel Comics title in the 1980s and the character is central in the script – but whose casting proved to be the most challenging as the studio and producers made ethnic authenticity a priority.

Searches were conducting nationwide in the US as well as Canada and the UK, among other countries, before the studio circled around Hunt, who is part Native American. CAA signed the actress hot off the search.

Hunt is quite new to the acting scene; she has appeared on a trickle of TV episodes, three being on the CW series The Originals. But with her being a key player in an X-Men franchise, expect the IMDb credits to begin racking up.

New Mutants is scheduled to go before cameras in July in Boston.

Hunt is additionally repped by Brett Cates at Rothman/Andres Entertainment.

JUNE 29, 2017 12:26pm PT by Borys Kit
Alice Braga Joins 'New Mutants' as Rosario Dawson Exits (Exclusive)

Josh Boone co-wrote the script and is directing the 'X-Men' spinoff.

Alice Braga has joined the cast of Josh Boone's X-Men spinoff, New Mutants.

Braga, who stars in USA's Queen of the South, is stepping into the role initially inhabited by Rosario Dawson, who has exited the project. The reason for the departure is unclear.

The Witch and Split star Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams and Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton are toplining the project, which also has 13 Reasons Why actor Henry Zaga and relative newcomer Blu Hunt in leading roles.

The studio is intent at taking a horror-thriller approach to the spinoff as it seeks to infuse its X-Men slate with distinct flavors a la Deadpool and Logan. Mutants, drawing heavily on the 1980s comic book works by Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod and Bill Sienkiewicz, will tell of five diverse teens learning to cope with their superpowers who must escape a secret facility where they are being held against their will.

Braga will play Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself but also has more going on than she lets on.

New Mutants has a release date of April 13, 2018. Boone and his writing partner, Knate Lee, wrote the script for the project, which is set to shoot in July in Boston.

Brazil-born Braga has appeared in movies such as I Am Legend with Will Smith, Predators and Elysium. Queen of the South is in the midst of its second season.