For years now (literally), we’ve discussed the behind-the-scenes drama that has gone on regarding “The New Mutants.” The last remaining piece of the Fox/Marvel puzzle, which was originally supposed to be released in 2018 and is now arriving tomorrow, has been written about time and time again regarding the reports of disagreements between the studio and filmmaker Josh Boone and planned reshoots that were supposed to overhaul the film but never happened. But all that has been speculation. However, according to a new report from Vulture, the real story is actually much more complicated and, perhaps, even worse than we anticipated.
For those not familiar with the comic book inspiration for the film, “The New Mutants” is a spinoff of the ‘X-Men’ brand and focused on younger mutants that are saving the world while also still dealing with the everyday struggles of being a teen. This sounds ripe for a film adaptation and apparently Josh Boone agreed, pitching a “Breakfast Club”-style teen film crossed with low-budget, Blumhouse-esque horror. And while Fox was originally pleased with that idea, it wasn’t long until the wheels reportedly came off and the strife began.
There were many different versions of the script before production began, with Boone originally wanting to emphasize the John Hughes-ian aspects and Fox wanting to focus more on the horror. In fact, Boone was so in love with his “Breakfast Club” idea that he set the film in the 1980s. But when Fox read the scripts, the studio was reportedly very unhappy with the results.
The basic problem appears to be the differences between what was pitched and what Boone delivered. Instead of punk rock, ‘80s-style teen characters, he included crude, uninspired humor such as a “misogynist” that spray-painted penises on things “for no apparent reason,” according to the report. In addition, there was the idea that the X-Men themselves were trapping the kids, with Storm (played by Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp in the films, respectively) serving as their “sadistic jailer.”
Due to this clear difference in creative directions between the studio and Boone, Fox reportedly brought in a number of writers to rewrite portions of the script (uncredited, of course). Those names include “Fault in Our Stars” writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, “The Conjuring” writers Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes, as well as folks like Joshua Zetumer, Seth-Grahame Smith, and Scott Frank.
READ MORE: Josh Boone Spoke With Sacha Baron Cohen About Playing Warlock In ‘New Mutants’
Of course, the film was eventually put into production, but the drama didn’t stop there. The report claims that after principal photography was done and Fox saw a cut of the film, the studio was so “displeased,” there was discussion of throwing the entire thing out and starting over. But then the Disney deal happened and “The New Mutants” became that studio’s problem.
So, now we sit here, just hours before the film opens in theaters, almost three years after the first trailer premiered. And no one knows if all this trouble was worth it or if the film will actually make any money, given the uncertainty of the pandemic. But at least it’s released and the ‘X-Men’ universe can finally be laid to rest. Because it sure does sound like the ending of the 20-year franchise was more of a headache than anything else.