The New Mutants has undergone many changes over the course of the movie’s initial development. Fox pushed back the release date, important roles experienced a casting change, there were numerous reshoots, and the movie even had villain changes. Now after several years of delays, The New Mutants finally has an official release date and a fancy trailer to go with it. The New Mutants follows a new cast of teen X-Men. While facing unknown dangers, they must learn to hone their powers.
The New Mutants had three main X-Men spin-off series. The first one was in 1982, the second in 2003, and most recent in 2009. Despite being set in the Marvel and X-Men world, Fox’s new movie feels a lot more like a teen horror film than a superhero movie. The new gang of mutants will have a lot to deal with when The New Mutants hits theaters in April-- so we don’t blame them if they’re too distracted to concerned themselves with the X-Men universe.
The film focuses on the five new mutants and the woman helping them manage their powers. Most of The New Mutants cast already has an established fanbase from their previous work. Let's take a look at the stars of this movie and where we've seen then in past projects.
Maisie Williams (Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane)
Maisie Williams plays Rahne Sinclair, superhero alias Wolfbane, in The New Mutants. She has the power to shape-shift into a wolf. In the original comics, Rahne is Scottish and comes from a very religious background where she is taught to suppress and hate her powers. Of course, most people know Maisie Williams from playing Arya Stark from 2011 to 2019 in Game of Thrones.
In addition to Game of Thrones, Williams appeared in four episodes of Doctor Who, and had lead roles in the movies iBoy, Cyberbully, and Then Came You. In September 2019, it was rumored that Maisie Williams joined the cast of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening. In 2020, she’ll appear in a movie called The Owners. The film is about a group of friends planning a burglary.
Charlie Heaton (Sam Guthrie/Cannonball)
Charlie Heaton plays Sam Guthrie whose alias is Cannonball in The New Mutants movie. Sam Guthrie’s power allows him to create a blast field when in battle. In the comics, he’s the co-leader of the New Mutants. Sam Guthrie is from Kentucky and worked as a coal miner prior to discovering his powers. He joined the coal mines to help support his family when his father died.
Charlie Heaton plays Jonathan Byers on Stranger Things. He’ll make his return to Stranger Things when the fourth season premieres. Heaton’s film credits include Marrowbone, Shut In, and As You Are. Charlie Heaton has also appeared in the TV series Casualty, Vera, and DCI Banks. In 2020, he’ll appear in the film The Souvenir: Part II. The movie is about a young film student in the early 80s who falls for an untrustworthy man. The Souvenir: Part II’s cast includes Joe Alwyn, Tilda Swinton, and Richard Ayoade.
Anya Taylor-Joy (Illyana Rasputin/Magik)
In The New Mutants, Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of Illyana Rasputin, also known as Magik. Illyana is Russian and the younger sister of a Deadpool character. Her powers include teleportation and sorcery. Anya Taylor-Joy has an impressive film and television resume.
Anya Taylor-Joy made a big mark on the horror movie world by appearing in The Witch in 2015. Then she appeared in several episodes of the series Atlantis. In 2016 and 2017, Anya Taylor-Joy appeared in Barry, Split, Thoroughbreds, and Marrowbone. Split placed Taylor-Joy opposite James McAvoy as Casey, an abused girl trying to escape The Beast and his many personalities. Marrowbone teamed her up with her future The New Mutants co-star Charlie Heaton. In 2019, Anya Taylor-Joy reprised her role as Casey for the Split and Unbreakable sequel Glass. Also in 2019, she voiced Brea in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series and appeared in a few episodes of Peaky Blinders. In 2020, Anya Taylor-Joy has many television and movie projects in the work, but one of her most anticipated one is her role as Emma in the latest adaptation of Emma, which arrives in theaters in February.
Blu Hunt (Danielle Moonstar)
Blu Hunt plays Danielle Moonstar in The New Mutants. She is a Native American and part of the Cheyenne tribe. In the comics, Danielle Moonstar acts as the other leader of the New Mutants alongside Cannonball. Sometimes in the comics, her alias is Psyche or Mirage. Moonstar’s powers include energy manipulation and psychic abilities. Based on the trailer, it looks like Danielle Moonstar and Rahne Sinclair will have a romantic relationship in The New Mutants.
Blu Hunt appeared in The Originals in 2017. Later, she landed a series regular role on the Netflix series Another Life, which follows the crew of the Salvare spaceship as they search for the origins of a mysterious artifact. Blu Hunt plays August Catawnee, the lead engineer on the Salvare.
Henry Zaga (Roberto da Costa/Sunspot)
Henry Zaga plays the solar powered superhero Sunspot, real name Roberto da Costa. In The New Mutants comics, Roberto is the son of a wealthy afro-Brazilian businessman and a white American mother. His powers include manipulating heat and light, solar absorption, and massive blasts.
If you enjoy teen dramas, then you’ve likely seen Henry Zaga before. He played Josh Diaz,a wolf-eel hybrid in Teen Wolf’s fifth season. Henry Zaga played Tony (Christian Navarro)’s love interest in Season 1 of 13 Reasons Why, Jake in Looking for Alaska, and Nick in Netflix’s original series Trinkets. Later this year, Henry Zaga reunites with The New Mutants director Josh Boone for the new adaptation of The Stand.
Alice Braga (Dr. Cecilia Reyes)
In The New Mutants comics, Dr. Cecilia Reyes, portrayed by Alice Braga in the movie, has Latin American origins and works as a medical doctor. She is also a mutant with the power to create a protective force field. She acts as a mentor and guide. Unlike many mutants, Cecilia prefers living a normal life.
Alice Braga has appeared in the movies City of God, I Am Legend, Predators, On the Road, Elysium, and The Shack. Many may recognize Braga for her role as Teresa Mendoza in the Queen of the South series. She’s currently filming a HBO miniseries called We Are Who We Are. It’s about two American teens dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up while living on a military base in Italy. In 2021, Alice Braga is expected to appear in the new Suicide Squad movie.
Catch all these characters in action when The New Mutants movie hits theaters on April 3, 2020.
