Jeff Sneider, Editor in Chief of The Tracking Board, has released an extensive report on what exactly has been going on behind-the-scenes with The New Mutants and subsequently, clearing up a lot of the unsubstantiated rumors we've been hearing ever since the recently announced second delay.
According to his sources, the "creative differences" we've been hearing so much about have been blown wildly out of proportion, as per usual, by the Twitterverse and that the current cut of the movie is the one director/writer Josh Boone and co-writer Knate Lee agreed to deliver. However, following that well-received teaser trailer in October, fans began to expect an all-out horror film, which, as it turns out, the film just wasn't since it was developed as more of a young adult film that drew inspiration from elements of Stephen King and John Hughes.
With the film testing as well as the original Deadpool, 20th Century Fox had originally only planned on three days of reshoots to improve the ending, but after the reception to the teaser, the higher-ups decided on making more significant changes to deliver a darker straight-up horror film, more in tune with what Boone and Lee had initially pitched.
In regards to the additional photography, the film's second half is largely expected to stay as is, for the most part, but the first half will need some work to incorporate more horror elements, with Boone adding/re-adding scary sequences that execs had previously deemed too frightening for a superhero movie.
As for that new character? Well, that's now been essentially confirmed and his identity could have some pretty major ramifications for the future of the X-Men franchise, depending on how many more movies we see before that merger passes. According to the report, 2x Golden Globe-winner and Primetime Emmy-winner Jon Hamm (Tag) was originally cast as Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. Mister Sinister, and was all set to appear in a post-credits scene, with Boone even having filmed something leading up to the major reveal, but unfortunately, Fox decided to change course at the very last minute.
They've now enlisted 3x Golden Globe-nominee Antonio Banderas (The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle) for the post-credits sequence, but there's a bit of a twist as he's not expected to play Mister Sinister, which means, if they have him under contract, Hamm could still potentially appear in another X-Men film (e.g. X-Men: Dark Phoenix). As for Banderas' villainous character, his identity remains a mystery for now as it could be literally anyone from the wide catalog of X-Men rogues, but there are rumblings that he could be the voice of the Demon Bear, although that doesn't exactly line up since we already know he's the film's primary antagonist. In addition to losing Sinister, the alien Warlock was also cut, due to budget limitations, after having appeared in early drafts of the film's script.
With the Disney/Fox merger expected to pass regulators before the end of the year, it remains uncertain what will become of this film (and several others) if the additional photography hasn't wrapped on schedule, which really shouldn't be an issue, but you never know. Logistically speaking, it's highly unlikely Marvel Studios would introduce any X-Men characters into their films before the end of 2019, at the earliest, and it would be impractical to expect them to release a full-fledged MCU X-Men film in theaters until 2021, at the earliest, since anything else would have to be significantly rushed with less than two years of development time.
The New Mutants is now set for an August 2, 2019, release date, which could ultimately prove to be very lucrative in a typically dry release month. Its only competition will come from a live-action Dora the Explorer movie that same weekend and then Disney's Artemis Fowl and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in the following frame.
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
The New Mutants features:
Director: Josh Boone
Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik
Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane
Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball
Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot
Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage
Alice Braga as Cecilia Reyes
Antonio Banderas in an undisclosed role
The New Mutants hits theaters August 2, 2019
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.