The New Mutants Coming to Disney+: 5 Things You Need to Know About the X-Men Spin-Off

X-Men with Haunted House Sauce

In 2016, Fox announced that it was working on an adaptation of The New Mutants comic book, produced by Simon Kinberg and directed by Josh Boone, an X-men spin-off aimed at a young adult audience. In the comics, five new mutants are formed by Charles Xavier to save the world. In the film version, they are locked in a mental hospital where very strange things happen… The will of the studios is clear from the beginning: Fox wants to do something “Haunted House movie” (prohibited for children under 13). At this time, they are even talking about a horror trilogy. Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Split) and Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) began filming in 2017.

Game of Thrones and X-Men

Maisie Williams is the 5th Game of Thrones star to star in the X-Men saga after Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister and Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Ed Skrein (Dario Naharis and Ajax in Deadpool). 2016 )), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark and Jean Gray in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2016)) and Richard E. Grant (Izembaro and Dr. Zander Rice in Logan (2017).

Claustrophobia

Because the film takes place almost entirely in Millbury Hospital, the sense of claustrophobia that already existed in the script must have been palpable, and the producer tried to find that oppressive atmosphere in the filming locations. Fortunately, he found an abandoned medical center in New England that consisted of several buildings that he was able to strip down, clean, and use. “When we got there, the paint was peeling and there was rubble all over the place,” notes production designer Molly Hughes. “It was a fascinating place and we thought it was a perfect fit for what we were looking for. From the beginning, Josh Boone and Kneit Lee wanted to give this intrigue the dimension of a Victorian Gothic tale. A red brick establishment from the early 20th century with an unsettling look was just what we needed.The hospital itself is a character in the film and the fact of being in a real setting reinforces the sense of dread that comes from the place. Molly Hughes was inspired by several photo books for decorations on old shelters. .

From Lynch to Mutants

Josh Boone is a big fan of Peter Deming, who notably illuminated David Lynch’s Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, and Sam Raimi’s To Hell. Suffice it to say, he was thrilled that the director of photography agreed to provide lighting for his film. “Peter strikes the right balance between realism and stylization”– says the director. “We wanted this film to focus on the relationships of the characters and make it accessible to as many people as possible, we were sure that Peter would sign a very beautiful picture. If the director originally thought that The New Mutants would be filmed in a studio, he was happy to learn that it would be filmed on an actual set. “We had all these buildings that we were able to turn into a set. We could really do what we wanted, use whatever building we needed, make adjustments or completely tear down and build.”

Create a demon bear

The demon bear, from the comics, is emblematic of the many obstacles Dany Munstar must overcome. “When he has a nightmare, Dan unknowingly wakes up a bear that grows bigger and bigger until it reaches reality and becomes a monster.”Josh Boone notes. “It must have been so gigantic that it completely filled your field of vision.” As Peter Deming points out, the real challenge was photographing a bear over 10 meters tall, which is, in fact, virtual: “In the final scenes, which take place in and around the hospital chapel, the main character is a huge creature, which of course is not on set!” For the scenes between the mutants and the bear, the actors had to perform in front of a very elaborate metal structure with glowing eyes.