Josh Boone, director of the long-delayed New Mutants says that even he isn't sure if the movie will make its current release date, as Disney doesn't keep him in the loop on their release plans. The film has had a long and tortuous journey to the big screen, as it was initially meant to be in theaters over two years ago. But its release has been delayed multiple times, mainly due to Fox's acquisition by Disney. The latest release date is August 28, though even the teaser revealed at San Diego Comic-Con@Home yesterday joked about all the New Mutants release date changes, as it featured a sign saying "fingers crossed."
This is down to the uncertainty around whether theaters will even be open at that date, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The release date isn't the only trouble Boone's movie experienced. There were reports of multiple reshoots and changes to how the movie fits into the X-Men universe, a necessary adjustment given that the X-Men will likely be relaunched as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that those characters are owned by Disney. However, Boone has since confirmed that there were no reshoots on New Mutants. For now, the party line is that the movie will finally be released in theaters on August 28.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant as part of this year's San Diego Comic-Con@Home coverage, Boone says that even he isn't sure what Disney's ultimate release plans for the movie are. Boone says that the studio doesn't tell him their plans, but adds that at this point, he just wants people to see New Mutants, no matter the platform or release date. He adds, though, that a lot of scenes in the movie were shot with the cinema experience in mind, and that would be his ideal format for release. You can read the exclusive quote below.
I'd be thrilled with whatever delivery platform allows everybody to see it who wants to see it. But I don't know personally, and they don't tell me. So the plan for us, I think, is theatrical and always has been. Even the way we chose to shoot certain things, even the battle with the bear at the end and all that, will only be better in a theater.
It's clear that Boone is holding out for a theatrical release, but at this point is just happy to know his movie will finally see the light of day. After so many delays, the director must be excited to see all his hard work finally on screen. The delays haven't all been bad, though, as Boone also revealed that he was able to make some final tweaks to The New Mutants due to the delays caused by the merger.
It remains to be seen whether New Mutants will be worth the wait. The latest New Mutants footage, revealed during yesterday's panel, did give a far clearer idea of what to expect from the movie, with the heart-pumping opening sequence revealing that Danielle Moonstar aka Mirage, played by Blu Hunt, will form the emotional heart of the film. As for judging the overall quality of New Mutants, fans will finally get a chance on August 28, hopefully.
