Tickets for The New Mutants recently went on sale, and Vital Thrills got a chance to chat with the cast during a virtual press conference for the anticipated movie. Participating were Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alice Braga, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, Henry Zaga, and writer/director Josh Boone.
The cast talked about the film finally getting released, how their thoughts on the property have changed over time, and what fan support has meant as they waited for the premiere. Check out what they had to say below and scroll down to watch the video from the virtual press conference.
Williams spoke about the fans following the film through mergers, date changes, and a global pandemic. “It’s so wonderful,” she said of the support. “There was a lot of uncertainty with this film and when it was going to get released. And, to know that there was an audience that was still willing to wait as long as it took, and even through this pandemic, have been so supportive… I can’t wait for people to finally see it.
Boone added, “They’re my favorite fans because they actually don’t complain. They just do really cool artwork of the characters. So, there’s probably like 100 plus pieces of artwork that fans have done that I’d still like to figure out a way to do a book of.”
Braga spoke about how their Comic-Con@Home panel was the most watched. “I think that was so sweet to hear,” she said. “When Josh gave us that news, I think for me was, wow, it’s amazing that the fans are so loyal and so excited, even with all the wait…it was a great thing, right before we finally released, to listen to. I don’t know about you guys, but that was something that was really beautiful.”
When a film comes out, there is often talk about reshoots, something that is normal for any large production. Boone, however, debunked the reshoot rumors about The New Mutants. He said, “We reshot the movie four or five times, like every scene in it. But no, I’m kidding. We never had a – we never did reshoots.”
Boone added: “We were supposed to do reshoots. People, in general, movies do reshoots or pickups or things like that. But, because of the [Disney/20th Century Fox] merger, once it was done, it was done. So we… never went back and did reshoots. So, we were always using the same footage and the same material from the start of editing and all the way to the end of it.”
The cast joked about the film being timely, with everyone stuck in a place they can’t get out of. Boone said, “That’s why the universe made this movie wait. It was because they knew they needed to wait for a time when nobody could leave their house. ‘Cause I mean, we went and made this about the kids trapped inside this institution, this facility. And then Henry and I went and made a show about a pandemic. So, it’s, I think we need to stop making things that could happen in real life.”
Apparently, the location for the film was pretty spooky. Zaga spoke about the smell of the place. “I think there was something really creepy about the smell that just got into your soul before you thought about it… it was spooky.” Braga agreed about the smell. She added, “And filming at night was kind of scary. I wouldn’t walk by myself. There was no way,” she said with a laugh.
Taylor-Joy talked about the film’s teenagers learning about their new abilities. “Any opportunity to go back to teenagedom is not necessarily the most fun experience, but you definitely learn a lot about yourself afterward. It’s interesting because I think we all came into this knowing that whilst we were making a superhero movie, we weren’t really making a superhero movie. We were making a film about people who were having a tough time understanding themselves and figuring out their place in the world.”
Heaton talked about being holed up together in a hotel while they filmed The New Mutants. “I mean, you have no choice but to, you know, hang out,” he laughed. “It’s a long period of time as well. I knew that, I think it was three months, you know, all in all. And there is really nothing, I mean, sorry, Norwood, but there’s not a lot to do in Norwood.”
He continued, “It really made us bond, you know, as people. Like, learn about each other, like these characters do. It was like life was meeting art in the same moment, which was nice.”
The New Mutants is a terrifying, action-fueled film based on the Marvel comic book series. In the film, five young people who demonstrate special powers are brought to a secret institution to undergo treatments they are told will cure them of the dangers of their powers.
Included are Danielle Moonstar aka Mirage (Blu Hunt), who creates illusions from other people’s fears; Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams), who transforms into the werewolf Wolfsbane; Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton), who, as Cannonball, can fly at jet speeds protected by a force field; Roberto da Costa aka Sunspot (Henry Zaga), who absorbs and channels solar power; and Illyana Rasputin aka Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy).
The younger sister of Colossus, Magik becomes encased in armor at will and wields a soulsword that amplifies her multiple superhuman and psychic abilities. Invited by Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga) to share their stories about when their powers first manifested, the five “patients” come to understand that they are in a class of people called mutants, who have historically been marginalized and feared.
As they relive their origin stories, their memories seem to turn into terrifying realities. Soon, they question what is real and what isn’t, and it becomes clear that the institution isn’t what it seems. Now the question is – why are they being held captive? And who is trying to destroy them?
Jenna Busch has written and spoken about movies, TV, video games, and comics all over the Internet for over 15 years, co-hosted a series with Stan Lee, appeared on multiple episodes of “Tabletop,” written comic books, and is a contributing author for the 13 books in the “PsychGeeks” series including “Star Wars Psychology.” She founded the site Legion of Leia and hosted the “Legion” podcast.