X-Men: Apocalypse may be the last proper X-Men film for a while, but Fox’s cinematic universe of mutants is by no means ending. Spinoffs like Deadpool and Gambit already have confirmed release dates, and there are others in development, including New Mutants, which was announced back in May. News on that project’s progress has been light in recent months, but the project is moving closer to becoming reality.
Director Josh Boone posted this picture on Instagram of the New Mutants script. Although it isn’t finished, he notes that a lot of it has been completed. Boone, who helmed last year’s The Fault in Our Stars, is co-writing the film with Jackass contributor Knate Gwaltney, while Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner will be continue their roles in the X-Men universe as producers. Good luck trying to make out any of the words on the top page, but it’s safe to say that New Mutants is being taken seriously as a future installment for the franchise.
Although no plot details have been disclosed, the film will presumably revolve around the team of young mutant superheroes created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod in 1982. Like the original team, these teenagers were students at Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where they learned how to be superheroes. The original members included Cannonball (who can generate a thermo-chemical energy that propels him forward at fast speeds), Karma (who can psychically possess other people’s bodies), Mirage (who can generate illusions), Sunspot (who can channel and absorb solar energy), and Wolfsbane (who can transform into a werewolf).
Of these five mutants, only Sunspot has already appeared in the film series as one of the surviving mutant fighters in X-Men: Days of Future Past’s apocalyptic future, although his allies Blink and Warpath were members of later iterations of the team in the comics. It’s worth noting that New Mutants may not sport the same lineup as its earlier years, much like how X-Men: First Class only featured one of the original X-Men (Beast). Still, with the X-Men timeline having been reset, New Mutants could be the best way to start telling team adventures in the present day without having to bring back most of the cast from the original movies, although we wouldn’t mind a few of those people playing supporting roles or cameoing.
No release date has been announced yet for New Mutants, but we’ll keep you apprised on any developments regarding its progress.
