We had such high hopes for New Mutants. When the trailer came out in 2017, it looked to be a unique, horror-style exploration of the X-Men universe. But now, those hopes seem like a long way away. Sure, a tiny news item pops up every two months or so. But besides that, it really feels like Fox, the fans, and even the filmmakers are forgetting about the prospect of releasing New Mutants. We did a little bit of speculating as to why that might be, and we think the answers might interest you. Read the article below and see if your speculation lines up with our 10 Reasons New Mutants Might Be Getting Forgotten. Let us know what you think.
It’s Too Intense For Disney
The first and most obvious reason that Fox’s New Mutants might be getting forgotten about is that, well, it looks too scary. The Disney/Fox merger is going to finalize in June, and Disney is obviously not known for its horror movie catalog. According to several folks involved in the movie, New Mutants is a true horror experience. We can see that as a reason its new masters, the house of mouse, would push it to the back-burner.
There Are Other Plans For The X-Men
Since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about Disney’s method of making movies. Ever since the MCU began with Iron Man in 2008, Disney has carefully and intelligently laced together our favorite Marvel characters into one universe. After the Disney/Fox merger happens, the characters of the X-Men universe will be part of that universe. With that in mind, could Disney be forgetting about New Mutants because it simply doesn’t fit their plans for the X-Folks? It’s certainly possible.
Delay After Delay After Delay After…
Alright, let’s take a break from the Disney talk for a second. Even before the Disney/Fox merger started becoming a reality, New Mutants faced some serious delays in schedule. The studio kept pushing its release date back and back until we got here, at the beginning of 2019 with no New Mutants movie. Keep in mind, New Mutants was originally supposed to come out in April of 2018. That’s ten months ago! Even for the people trying really hard to get that movie out, that’s a long time to wait.
Is Runaways Stealing Its Thunder?
Another reason we might not be getting a character-driven story about superpowers gone awry is that, well, there’s already one on TV. Now, this is not to say that Runaways is a knockoff of New Mutants. Both of the stories are unique, worthwhile tales of family and responsibility, and if you haven’t read the original comic book storylines, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. However, it’s not crazy to think that a studio would ditch something they feel is too close to another media project. If a producer thinks a project is too close to another, already popular one, there’s a chance they’d put it off. Is that fair? No. But is it possible? We think so.
Hulu Hasn’t Officially Picked It Up
Rumors came out recently of Hulu acquiring New Mutants for a direct release through their streaming platform. However, Hulu has not confirmed this yet, and we think this could be another reason New Mutants is in the kind of purgatory it’s in now. If Hulu is hovering around the project, expressing interest but not officially confirming, wouldn’t Fox want to hold off until they hear an answer? It’s a “counting eggs before they hatch” situation, with both sides keeping the other from taking any action. But if you ask us, Fox should hop on the first opportunity to put it on Hulu. Streaming services have never been more lucrative (or Oscar-worthy), and the amount Hulu might pay for the exclusive right could make up for lack of theater ticket sales.
It Won’t Commit To That R Rating
Speaking of not committing, we’ve been hearing rumors of the R rating of New Mutants for years now. But have we officially gotten one? No. We chalk this up to the creative team not agreeing on the darker aspects of the film, because as Logan and Deadpool have proven, it’s not a bad idea to make an R superhero film. If the film’s trailer is any indication, at least some people working on the film wouldn’t mind that R-rating, but we’ll just have to wait and see if it gets it. Our advice? Rate it whatever you want, just don’t try to do a softer, Fred Savage version of it later.
A Potential Young Avengers Movie
Along with the idea of Runaways stealing some of New Mutants’ thunder, another teen-driven superhero drama may be making Fox anxious. According to reports surrounding the next phase of the MCU, the Young Avengers are on their way to the big screen. This rumor could distract from the excitement for New Mutants, which could keep Fox from releasing it. Of course, the Young Avengers movie is still a rumor, but the buzz already around it could scare Fox.
Reshoots Still Need To Happen
Well, this one is a no-brainer. The New Mutants movie could be slipping away from memory because… it’s not even done! Since the summer we’ve heard reports of reshoots for New Mutants. In a fall interview, producer Simon Kinberg revealed that those reshoots are ongoing. Granted, it’s been a couple of months since that interview, but we haven’t heard any word on them since. Honestly, this idea incorporates a lot of items on this list. Maybe Hulu isn’t picking it up because it isn’t quite complete. Maybe there’s not enough footage to give it a rating. We know for sure that’s the reason for all the delays in release dates.
There Are No “Big Name” X-Characters
New Mutants was supposed to do something very cool. That is, open the X-Men world up to an entirely new cast of characters. However, with those characters’ cinematic status about to change, Fox might be thinking that opening those doors isn’t worth it. After all, the casual moviegoer (sadly) doesn’t know who Wolfsbane or Cannonball is, so Fox can’t count on them selling tickets. If they had had a movie or two to prove their chops, maybe they could’ve, but not this early in their film history. the sad truth is, people usually buy tickets to things they recognize. And with this being one of Fox’s last shots at the X-Men universe, they’re going to want recognizable names headlining their movies. Which brings us to our final theory…
It’s Got To Make Way For Dark Phoenix
In an ideal world, we shouldn’t have to choose between two X-Men stories. The X-Men characters and plotlines are so diverse and fascinating that there should be an endless stream of movies and TV shows coming out under their banner. But that’s not the case in our world. The Disney/Fox merger is coming, and though it’s so exciting to have the possibility of the X-Men in the MCU, it is a bummer for Fox. See, they might only have one last X-men movie to put out, and the truth is that New Mutants isn’t the safest choice. With big names like Professor X, Jean Grey, Storm and Cyclops in the movie, the much safer bet is Dark Phoenix. And if, as we’re speculating, Fox doesn’t have the resources to put out two X-Movies and make a profit, that’s the one they’re going to go with.
What do you think the future holds for New Mutants? Are you still hoping to see it in theaters? Let us know in the comments section below!
- New Mutants Release Date: 2020-08-28
