The New Mutants is the latest example of a film with an unfortunate production history. The idea of a fresher take on the X-Men is a good move to expand the Fox/Marvel universe. Unfortunately, the endless reshoots, the behind-the-scenes politics and the acquisition of Fox by Disney allowed the film to suffer delays, until it landed a release date of August 28.
However, this upcoming superhero horror film is not the only example of a Hollywood movie with a notoriously troubled release date. Here are nine others that suffered the same fate. Here, only movies with theatrical releases count, not Netflix Originals.
Jane Got A Gun (2016)
Jane Got A Gun is a contemporary Western, starring Natalie Portman as the titular Jane, a woman caught in a feud with a fierce gang. Thus, she enlists the help of an old flame (Joel Edgerton) to stop them.
Before production, director Lynne Ramsay was tapped to direct. But Gavin O’Connor replaced her to ensure a finished film by August 29, 2014. However, it never met the date, and the studio changed its release to 2015. It finally landed a January 29, 2016 release date and the film garnered a lukewarm reception.
Case 39 (2010)
A rare genre film from Renée Zellweger, Case 39 is a supernatural horror film about a social worker (Zellweger) fighting to take custody of a girl from an abusive household. However, the circumstances to claiming her seemed frightening.
Production for the movie started in 2006. But when a fire struck the set, the film’s release moved twice until it landed an unnoticed October 2010 premiere. And the final product shows. The outdated production values and the light scares proved how long this film sat on the shelf.
The Rhythm Section (2020)
Based on Mark Burnett’s novel, The Rhythm Section features Blake Lively as a plane crash survivor, who uncovers deeper secrets about the crash that killed her family. This film is the first non-James Bond action film from Eon Productions.
But what could have been a potential heroine-led franchise was fraught with production delays in the first half of 2018 to accommodate Blake Lively’s injury. Initially set to release in February 2019 and then November, the film was finally released on January 31, 2020, to an appalling reception, including the worst wide opening weekend.
The Current War (2019)
A biography film about the “war of the currents” rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse is a surefire Oscar contender. And an excellent cast that included Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Tom Holland and Nicholas Hoult would have surely made this film a winner.
However, the release of The Current War was severely affected by the Weinstein scandal. Originally given a December 2017 release, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon used the delay to recut the film to remove Weinstein’s involvement. This led to a quiet October 25, 2019 release, and a lukewarm reception.
Accidental Love (2015)
Of all the films featured on this list, this is the only one where its director, David O. Russell, disowned the film. Accidental Love is a romantic satire about a waitress (Jessica Biel) who gets a nail lodged in her brain, instigating her to support a healthcare cause and allowing her to fall in love with a congressman (Jake Gyllenhaal).
The production dated back to 2008, but Russell left the production due to a producer dispute. After years of behind-the-scenes politics, the film got a 2015 VOD release and a negative reception.
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2013)
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane was meant to be the 2006 star vehicle for Amber Heard and director Jonathan Levine. This story, about an attractive outsider and a group of high schoolers as targets of a killing spree, got a promising start in the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.
However, disputes with its distributors resulted on the film having a limited release by October 11, 2013. This is despite having an early 2008 UK release. Nowadays, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane has a small following with slasher fans.
Red Dawn (2012)
The common denominator for the films featured here is their unfortunate histories with bankrupting studios. For the Red Dawn remake, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer initially had slated the film for a 2011 release. But due to the studio filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, FilmDistrict acquired the film for a 2012 release. Another reason for its delay is the switching of the film's antagonists from China to North Korea.
While it boasts an appealing cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, this Red Dawn remake received a negative response for its dull execution.
A Thousand Words (2012)
A Thousand Words was the last nail in the coffin for Eddie Murphy’s stellar comedic career before his eventual 2019 comeback. The premise is simple: Jack McCall (Murphy) was cursed with a magical tree that withers its leaves whenever he talked.
Shot in 2008, this “comedy” was given a 2009 release, but was pushed back to March 2012 and then to January 2012 to align with Murphy’s Oscar hosting stint. But when he backed off from the role, the film was finally released on March 9, 2012, receiving abysmal reviews.
Foodfight! (2012)
Dubbed as one of the worst animated films, Foodfight! was originally conceived as the next Pixar contender. The premise of this animated film is about a supermarket coming to life after closing time. At the center of it is Dex Dogtective (Charlie Sheen), who must stop an evil army, led by Brand X (Eva Longoria), from world domination.
Foodfight! suffered a troubling production, which led its Christmas 2003 release to be pushed many times. By 2011, the film was auctioned off, leading to a sparse 2012 release. And the final product really shows.
The New Mutants (2020)
Initially, there was a lot of promise for the debut of X-Men's The New Mutants from the first movie trailer last October 2017 which promised a psychological horror side to the X-Men universe. However, after production wrapped up in September 2017, Boone delayed its April 2018 release to intensify the horror elements.
However, due to Fox's acquisition by Disney, the film was delayed to February 22, 2019, and then to August 2, and eventually to April 3, 2020. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney pulled its release, then rescheduled it to August 28, 2020. Looking from this perspective, The New Mutants is cursed with delays. But let the final Marvel product speak for itself.