Do you know how excited that New Mutants readers and fans are to see classic Marvel characters like Cannonball, Rahne and Magik on screen for the first time? Quadruple that excitement for The New Mutants co-star Blu Hunt.
The upcoming superhero origin story is her debut feature film, and she has had to sit on that debut for years because of studio shuffling and release-date delays. When we spoke with Hunt ahead of the New Mutants Comic-Con@Home panel, she told us that she’s actually REALLY excited for her Native American Lakota tribe to finally see the film, and see an indigenous character like Danielle Moonstar realized on the big screen.
Hunt explained to CinemaBlend:
I think at first I was definitely like, ‘Oh my God, I just want everyone in my life to know I did this!’ And see it. And then after the years passed [laughs], I think I was most disappointed [because] I really, really wanted people from Lakota nation, [and] from all the indigenous nations across the country… I'm most disappointed that they haven't gotten to see it yet. And now that, you know, they're so heavily impacted by COVID right now, too, I just want this to come out. And I'm really sad that they absolutely probably won't be able to see it in theaters, you know? I think that's where most of my disappointment lies. Not in so much my family and my friends, because they don't even -- my family and friends don't even really see me as like, ‘Actor Blu.’ They always think it's funny that that's my job. … But I think that's who I’ve been most excited to see this movie, because I think it really cool [to play] an indigenous superhero. So I think that's what I'm most excited for. For this to finally come out, for that reason, and for people to get to see Danielle Moonstar in action. But I've definitely been very anxious. At a certain point I kind of just… yeah, it's been a really, really crazy time the past few years.
I personally can’t imagine getting to star in a Marvel Comics adaptation, and bringing a character like Dani Moonstar to life on screen, and then having to wait to show everyone. But Blu Hunt – who was born in California, and is of Lakota ancestry – makes it sound like it will be worth the wait, especially for when her Lakota family is able to enjoy the feature and see her work.
In The New Mutants, Dani (Hunt) is trapped in a hospital that explores the powers of mutants. Well, “experiments on” is probably a more accurate term. Director Josh Boone wanted to make one of the first horror movies in the mutant genre, so he applied some of the genre tropes to the X-Men spinoff team. And soon we will be able to see what they all came up with.
The movie just held its panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where the team showed off new footage. The New Mutants has a theatrical release of August 28 still, so we will remain optimistic and see what happens.
