The X-Men film franchise became quite known for its rocky production history, though The New Mutants was particularly tricky to get off the ground, especially being released during the pandemic and as the final 20th Century Fox X-Men movie. Now director Josh Boone, who also co-wrote The New Mutants, has stepped forward to recall his “traumatic” experience making the movie.
The New Mutants was released in 2020 and with a budget between $67 and $80 million, ultimately only grossed $49.2 million at the global box office. The reviews were mixed-to-negative, and as such, it’s been considered a rather unsuccessful effort to adapt the Marvel comic book team of the same name.
Now, as shared by co-writer and director Josh Boone in an interview with The Direct, he explained why the film was so difficult to make behind-the-scenes and how that ultimately translated to the final product’s fate.
“I was one of the writers on New Mutants. It’s so hard because it was so traumatic,” he began. “The studio was sold, and we hit a pandemic… The studio was sold during the shooting, and then the pandemic happened when they decided to release it. And it just was such a — I had a wonderful time. I love the cast so much, but making that… It took so many years, and it was so unfulfilling, ultimately.”
It’s certainly disappointing that the experience was so difficult for Boone and everyone else involved. Obviously the next question from fans would be whether or not Boone would be interested in having a second chance to introduce the New Mutants by way of a MCU production. However, his thoughts on that topic are far from enthusiastic.
“We didn’t really get to make the movie we wanted to make. We made half the movie we wanted to make. And the release was so compromised by the pandemic… I’d rather just never do it again, just to be honest.”
Unfortunately, it looks like Boone is no longer interested in bringing the New Mutants to life on the big screen. As for whether or not Marvel Studios tries something similar, it may be quite some time, especially given the underperformance of Fox’s attempt. Of course, if the MCU X-Men reboot does well, we could see many more adaptations based on that side of the Marvel Comics – including a new take on The New Mutants.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the X-Men film franchise as the brand becomes part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for The New Mutants, if it does get a second chance, it looks like director Josh Boone won’t have anything to do with it following his “traumatic” experience making the first endeavor.