The release date for The New Mutants has not been changed by Disney, even though release dates for other prominent films have been shifted. Intended as a horror spin on one of the most famous comic book properties of all time, The New Mutants was originally meant to come out in April 2018. The theatrical debut was later pushed to February 2019. It was moved, once more, to August of this year. Finally, the date for The New Mutants’ release seemed to settle on April 2020. Given that Disney has reportedly been unimpressed with the movie, and given that Dark Phoenix was a flop at the box office, many fans have speculated that they would never get to see this blend of horror and superpowers play out on the big screen.
Directed by Josh Boone, who shares a screenplay credit with Knate Lee, The New Mutants was originally developed to be the beginning of a trilogy of films, separate and apart from other entries in the X-Men franchise. The story would follow a group of teenage mutants who were being held against their will in a secret facility. The New Mutants toted its horror trappings, with its trailer including shots of dark hallways and cemeteries. The movie’s stars, including Maisie Williams, could be seen screaming in terror. The New Mutants trailer was released over two years ago, though, with re-shoots taking place due to the fact that the movie was perceived as not being scary enough.
The re-shoots and delays, not to mention the ramifications of Disney’s merger with Fox, have led to discussions among fans about whether The New Mutants might be scrapped altogether. Fresh details unveiled by Disney itself, however, offers one big reason for optimism. In addition to shedding light on when the next slate of MCU installments will be out, Disney’s schedule for theatrical releases show that the date for The New Mutants is unchanged. It will still be released, according to the schedule, on April 3, 2020. This is in spite of the fact that Disney did shift the release date for notable upcoming titles, such as The King’s Man.
This seems to confirm that the only plan right now is to move ahead with the long-awaited, and frequently postponed, debut of The New Mutants. The film, for the test audiences who have seen a version of it, has been met with positivity and it was specifically noted that the narrative does achieve its aspirations of being a more frightening superhero adaptation.
The future of X-Men movies remains an open question. At least with Josh Boone’s vision, viewers won’t have to wait too long to make a judgement for themselves. But, given that The New Mutants began pre-production in 2017, it’s fair to say that the wait has already dragged on spectacularly.
Source: Disney
