After a three-year wait,The New Mutantsis finally in theaters. And audience reaction has been mixed, to say the least. Considering the muddled production process the film had to go through, there is little wonder that the final product turned out to divisive. As director Josh Boone told Radio 1 Newsbeat, the film that audiences are getting to see in theaters is only a section of what was originally planned.
“We were just in aperplexing circumstancethat most people don’t have to deal with. I feel like we did it. But oh my God, there were a lot of bumps and bruises. You’re holding on to it as it gets smaller and smaller and then eventually you’re like, ‘I can’t believe we made this’.”
One of the issues thatThe New Mutantsteam had to deal with was that the project was conceived as a small, almost indie-level offshoot of Fox’sX-Menfranchise. That meant the team could not count on a massive budget that the studio made available for something likeX-Men: Apocalypse, and, according toJosh Boone. that definitely ended up affecting what could be shown in his film.
“Once you start to find what the movie is, the budget comes in hard, you start to realise you’re gonna have to cut your dream of it in half. Not in a bad way, just in a ‘reality of Hollywood’ way that any director who goes to make a movie eventually has to do. So even if someone’s making a $200 million movie, I promise they needed $400 million.”
Previously, Boone had mentioned having the alien characterWarlockin the original script for the film, before the studio told him he had to choose between keeping Warlock or the Demon Bear due to CGI expense concerns. Similarly, a cameo byDeadpoolbreakout star Colossus as Magik’s older brother was cut because the film did not have the budget for including the scene.
So it is understandable that Boone would feel frustrated that the story he had originally wanted to tell had to be tempered by the reality of the budget he was given to work with. Then theglobal lockdown of 2020came into the picture and turned the entire film industry upside down. Nevertheless, the filmmaker has learned a lot from the experience and wants to use those lessons to make better choices when it comes to picking future film projects.
“That we had just made that and a pandemic happened was already so weird. And now we’re releasing a movie aboutkids in quarantine? And I’m just like - I don’t know - I’ll choose the next project more wisely.”
The New Mutantstells the story of a group of young mutants who are kept hidden away in a government facility where their powers are studied and used for sinister purposes, until the kids decide to revolt. The cast is comprised of Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage, and Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes. The film is in theaters now.BBCwere the first to bring the world these quotes.
