Earlier today, it was reported that three upcoming X-Men movies would be shifted around on the schedule. For Deadpool 2, this means coming out a few weeks earlier, but for The New Mutants and Gambit, it means now being released on February 22, 2019 and June 7, 2019, respectively. In The New Mutants' case, supposedly 20th Century Fox delayed it is because the studio didn't want any overlap between it and Deadpool 2's theatrical run in certain territories. However, now there's word that the actual reason it's being released 10 months later than originally planned is because Fox wants to make it scarier.
In The Tracking Board's writeup of the release date changes, it's mentioned at the end of the article that reportedly The New Mutants "tested well, but not great," so Fox now wants to increase the amount of scares in the movie after seeing the success of movies like Get Out and IT. The Wrap's own write-up echoed these claims, as one insider said that The New Mutants "isn't scary enough. Neither article went into specific detail about how The New Mutants will be turned into a more frightening experience, but no doubt this will be accomplished through re-editing and perhaps even reshoots. After all, the movie doesn't come out for over a year now, so Fox has extra time to bring the main actors, the director and crew back together if it so chooses.
In recent years, several superhero movies have told stories that have fit nicely into other genres, from Captain America: The Winter Soldier being a political thriller to Ant-Man being a heist film to Logan being infused with Western elements. The New Mutants will be one of the few superhero resting comfortably in the horror genre, so along with properly adapting the New Mutants characters from the comics, it also needs to be packed with scares so it can distinguish itself from the competition. If having to wait another year for The New Mutants means getting a better product and attracting more horror fans, then the delay will ideally prove to be a wise decision in the end.
The New Mutants will follow five young mutants who are just discovering their special abilities trying to escape a creepy, secret facility where they're being held against their will. The main cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin (Magik), Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie (Cannonball), Henry Zaga as Roberto de Costa (Sunspot), Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar (Mirage) and Alice Braga as Cecilia Reyes.
As mentioned earlier, The New Mutants will now be released on February 22, 2019. We here at CinemaBlend will be sure to keep you updated on how it's progressing, but in the meantime, check out our X-Men movies guide to see what other mutant-filled projects are on the way, and browse through our 2018 premiere guide to see which movies are still supposed to come out this year.
