It's been almost two years since Fox announced the X-Men franchise would expand to include "New Mutants." The film will be written and helmed by "The Fault in Our Stars" director Josh Boone, and will most likely feature a cast of characters familiar to those who read the original Marvel Comics series in the 1980s.

RELATED: Stranger Things Is More Of An X-Men Show Than Legion

Whether or not "New Mutants" will be set in the '80s, like last year's "X-Men: Apocalypse," is unknown. What's clear, however, is that '80s tone will be integral to the film. While speaking with CBR, producer Simon Kinberg revealed some of the pop-culture elements that will influence Boone's "X-Men" spinoff.

"The tone of 'New Mutants,' in the same way that 'Logan' is a different tone than 'Deadpool,' the tone of 'New Mutants' has, like the comic, a sort of Stephen King aspect to it -- which is also something that Josh is really interested in and well-versed in," he explained. "I think it'll feel different than the other films."

That's a tone that a new generation of viewers has become familiar with thanks to "Stranger Things," the hit Netflix sci-fi/horror series set in early-1980s Indiana. When asked whether "New Mutants" will draw any inspiration from that summer hit, Kinberg replied, "I think that 'New Mutants' will be influenced by the same things that 'Stranger Things' was influenced by. I don't think we will look at 'Stranger Things' as a model. We look at the same models that they did, which is the Amblin movies and actually, weirdly, the John Hughes movies."

RELATED: "New Mutants" Movie Art Shows Maisie Williams as Wolfsbane

Boone is a lifelong comics fan who shared pictures of his hardcover collection not long after the movie was announced. Kinberg talked up the filmmaker's "New Mutants" fandom, saying, "Josh is a huge 'New Mutants' fan. I mean huge -- as much as I've seen any filmmaker be a fan of the source material, actually. He knows it inside and out."

It also turns out that those earlier reports of "New Mutants" starting up production this spring may be accurate. "We are close to making that movie. The plan is to make that movie in spring or summer this year and it will come out next year," Kinberg said. "Josh has a clear idea about some of the cast members as well. We are very close to a very good script."

The film, which will most likely be inspired by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz's "Demon Bear" storyline, is expected to feature Mirage, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Cannonball, Magik and Warlock, and is rumored to feature an appearance by James McAvoy as Charles Xavier.