Remember when 2018 was supposed to be the year that Fox aggressively pushed their ‘X-Men’ universe, with three new films? Well you should because it was only two months ago.
Way back on January 11th of this year, Fox announced plans to move “The New Mutants” to 2019. Then today, it was announced that ‘New Mutants’ is moving even further into 2019, with October’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” getting pushed to February 2019. So yeah, what was once three films in 2018 is reduced to one – “Deadpool 2.”
READ MORE: Anya Taylor-Joy Admits ‘The New Mutants’ Delay Is “Frustrating”
You gave it a valiant effort, Fox!
However, thanks to a report from Collider, we now know a little more about just why Fox officially moved the two ‘X-Men’ films to 2019, and it’s a mixed bag of reasons.
Scheduling is to blame for “X-Men: Dark Phoenix’s” move to 2019. According to the report, Fox screened ‘Dark Phoenix’ and got generally decent feedback about the film. However, as with any major blockbuster film, some reshoots were required. Unfortunately, with a cast as large as this, all with very busy schedules, the earliest they would be able to get back together would have been August. This won’t cut it for a film that was scheduled to release in a couple short months later. So instead of compromising the integrity of the film, they pushed it back (Hey, Warner Bros., this is what should have happened with “Justice League.”).
Unfortunately, the issues surrounding “The New Mutants” is a bit more…concerning.
Collider says that upwards of 50% of “The New Mutants” needs to be reshot. This is after Fox was unhappy with the version of the film presented by director Josh Boone. After it was deemed to be “not scary enough,” the film was given back to Boone with some clear mandates, and it seems as if Boone and Fox are at a bit of a disagreement, which is leading to an extended delay. Collider says, “they’re adding one or two new characters who will be present throughout the entirety of the film—this isn’t simply adding a cameo.”
The word around “The New Mutants” has gone from “cautious optimism” (when the cast and crew were announced) to general excitement (after the teaser), but has now settled firmly in the sad area known as “troubled production.” However, time does heal all wounds, and Fox has so much time before “The New Mutants” is released in August 2019.
Sorry ‘X-Men’ fans, you had a brief moment of optimism about 2018, but then the rug got pulled from under you. But hey, there’s always “Deadpool 2,” and that film looks plenty…Deadpool-y. So…yay?