Not long ago, 2018 was set to have three wildly different and exciting X-Men films hitting the big screen. But that number was reduced to two when last month, Josh Boone's The New Mutants was pushed from April 13 of this year all the way to February 22, 2019. With the extra breathing room before it debuts, The New Mutants will also be undergoing reshoots. We had previously heard that the film was delayed in order to make it scarier, and while that may be true, the reshoots will also allow for the comic book horror film to insert a new character into the story.
Unfortunately, the story from The Hollywood Reporter does not mention what new character will be joining The New Mutants or how big of a role this new addition will have. The teenage mutants have been a part of the comics since the '80s and there are plenty of characters in canon that the film could add to the cast. With almost a year until release, I'm sure we will have plenty of time to speculate, and details will probably come out over the summer when the reshoots are scheduled to take place. Word of reshoots often comes with hand-wringing on the part of fans who fear that it is indicative of a problematic film, but often it is just part of the process. One of the stars of The New Mutants, Maisie Williams has already spoken about why the delay is a good thing, and if the film is becoming scarier and a new character is being added, perhaps the wait will have been worth it.
What's interesting about the revelation of a new character being added is that it comes on the heels of news that Fox is still conducting business as usual, building its comic book film universe and actively developing a Doctor Doom movie and a Silver Surfer movie. This is interesting because many are expecting the Disney purchase of 21st Century Fox to go through and for the Fox characters to eventually join the MCU. So Fox is not just continuing along with the X-Men and Deadpool franchises like always, but it is actually introducing new properties into the mix. While the numbers are crunched and the T's are crossed on the Disney purchase, it is clear that Fox is going to continue building its comic book universe with bold, risk-taking films.
That being the case, the addition of a new character to The New Mutants takes on a interesting complexion. Instead of just adding a new character to bolster The New Mutants, the new addition could be an instance of universe building. X-Force is set to shoot this fall and that more adult team has had a lot of character overlap with The New Mutants over the years in the comics. There is a possibility that Fox could be using The New Mutants reshoots to improve that film while introducing a future X-Force member in a small role in advance.
The New Mutants is scheduled to hit theaters on February 22, 2019. To see what's hitting theaters a little sooner, check out our 2018 release guide.
