The X-Men have thrilled you, inspired you, made you laugh and – most recently – made you cry. And now they’re about to scare the living crap out of you too.
At least, that’s the idea. The next X-Men spin-off, The New Mutants, will be a “full-fledged horror movie,” according to director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars).
“We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” Josh Boone told Entertainment Weekly. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”
The New Mutants are, on the surface, exactly what they sound like: a teenaged version of the X-Men, enduring the trials and tribulations of superpowers and puberty. But throughout the original series, writer Chris Claremont pushed their story in creepier and creepier direction, particularly in the terrifying Demon Bear Saga, which forced the team to confront a demonic nightmare, brought to vivid and disturbing life by renowned horror artist Bill Sienkiewicz.
In other words, conventional action adventure suddenly pivoted into… stuff like this.
Marvel Comics
Also: Watch the First Teaser For Fox’s ‘The Gifted’
Josh Boone, who is attached to direct the upcoming Stephen King adaptations The Stand and Lisey’s Story, and who gained prominence directing the John Hughes-ish teen drama The Fault in Our Stars, says he has taken his inspiration from this particular run on The New Mutants, which he fittingly describes as “Stephen King meets John Hughes.”
Last year, Coming Soon released an animatic that revealed the New Mutants movie would adapt the iconic Demon Bear Saga. Entertainment Weekly’s sources were not as specific, but their vague description sounds a lot like the set-up for Demon Bear, which takes place at Professor Xavier’s School, in the middle of a snowstorm: “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.”
The cast of New Mutants also mirrors the original team. Josh Boone’s movie will star Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) as Magik and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Wolfsbane. Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) is currently rumored to play Sunspot, and Rosario Dawson (Daredevil) is rumored to be in talks for a role as well.
The New Mutants is scheduled to premiere on April 13, 2018. The film is currently expected to receive a PG-13 rating.
The Top 20 Greatest Superhero Movie Posters:
Top Photo: Marvel Comics
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The 20 Best Superhero Movie Posters
-
3 Dev Adam
Also known as That Turkish Ripoff Film Where Captain America and El Santo Team Up to Fight Evil Spider-Man. The film is at least 70 times more spectacular than anything cooked up by Disney, and this poster reflects that.
Image: Tual Film Arsel
-
Ant Man
To assure viewers that Ant-Man was tied in the The Avengers series, the marketers released a series of posters showing our tiny, tiny hero to scale with his future teammates.
Image: Disney
-
Batman (1966)
Camp was the word of the day in 1966, and this is still perhaps the most enjoyable Batman film of them all.
Image: 20th Century Fox
-
Batman (1989)
It may be difficult to describe just how huge Tim Burton's 1989 film really was back in the day. To tease us, the posters only displayed the Batman logo.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
In its own personal continuity, the animated Batman feature had an appropriately stylized poster.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
Batman Returns
While there have been numerous iterations of Catwoman over the years, this single image has become the defining image of the character in the minds of many.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Although the film has been largely panned, it cannot be denied that these street art renditions of the two title heroes are pretty cool.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
Darkman
Sam Raimi's over-the-top vigilante movie came from the era of hand-painted posters, when they all looked way cooler.
Image: Universal
-
Deadpool
The snarky, self-aware superhero comedy film faked you out with these Nicholas Sparks-inspired romance posters. Surprise! It's an R-rated comedy!
Image: 20th Century Fox
-
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
The best thing about Ghost Rider is the way he looks like a living tattoo. This poster highlights that to an amazing degree.
Image: Columbia
-
Guardians of the Galaxy
Although it is just a few glory shots of the team, a graphic designer thought to add some color. It certainly catches the eye.
Image: Disney
-
Hellboy
This poster, painted by the legendary Drew Struzan, wasn't used in the U.S. Our loss, I suppose.
Image: Columbia
-
Mystery Men
One of the funniest of all superhero movies, the clever Mystery Men took not-too-impressive superheroes (like The Shoveler and The Spleen) and made them look epic.
Image: Universal
-
Spider-Man 3
Non-fans see a moral conflict. Fans see a glimpse of an evil alien blob that takes the form of a costume. Either way, good choice.
Image: 20th Century Fox
-
Supergirl
Often jeered, this goofy Superman spinoff has a poster that outdoes most of its peers.
Image: TriStar Pictures
-
Superman III
This hand-painted poster was only used in international markets, but the images and the colors translate all over the world.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
The Amazing Spider-Man
No one asked for this reboot, but this image did lend an air of mystery to a story we already knew from a few years before.
Image: 20th Century Fox
-
The Dark Knight
The kid gloves are off, and buildings got blowed up. The image became iconic. Question: Did Batman burn that building in a bat shape, or did the Joker do it to discredit Batman? I always saw it as the latter.
Image: Warner Bros.
-
The Shadow
I loved how shiny and glossy blockbuster posters were in the '80s and '90s. This image became a logo for the film, and the colors are still unique to this day.
Image: Universal
-
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men 7 was when they started to mess around with alternate timelines in earnest, and the posters let us see the overlap.
Image: 20th Century Fox
