The upcoming X-Men spinoff film The New Mutants is set to close the book on 20th Century Fox's iteration of the X-Series, following Dark Phoenix, which wrapped up the franchise's mainline film series earlier this year. Despite technically being a part of said franchise, however, the horror-centric New Mutants will reportedly distance itself from all its predecessors.
FandomWire reports Disney and Marvel Studios -- the new on-screen owners of Marvel's mutants -- have severed any ties The New Mutants may have had to Fox's previous X-Men movies in the horror spinoff's latest cut. Moreover, the film reportedly takes an unorthodox approach to what exactly "being a mutant" means.
The latest cut of The New Mutants is described as being closer to writer/director Josh Boone's original vision for the film. Such a description falls in line with previous reports, which suggest the new version of the film is being well-received by test audiences.
Perhaps more interestingly, FandomWire reports the reason for these changes is Disney wanting to leave the door open for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, should he decide to introduce the New Mutants to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point down the road.
Should this report prove correct -- particularly the part about Disney wanting to make The New Mutants adaptable to the MCU -- it could serve to explain why the long-gestating film was hit with another delay following The House of Mouse's acquisition of Fox. With the acquisition granting Marvel Studios license to start making its own X-Men films, the fate of The New Mutants has been uncertain. However, provided FandomWire's information is correct, it appears there is a tentative game plan in place.
The New Mutants stars Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy (Atlantis) as Magik, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) as Cannonball, Blu Hunt (The Originals) as Dani Moonstar and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as Sunspot. The film is scheduled to be released on April 3, 2020.