Following one of my most active years this blog in some time, 2020 will mark a year in which I'm almost certain to scale back from my output. With Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Skywalker Saga having ended, there are not quite as many franchise movies slated for release this year pulling me to theaters, and there are simply more pressing things on which to spend my money.
That said, there is at least one movie I am now particularly interested in seeing, and as fate may have it, it may well be the first franchise movie I see this year (or not).
A few days ago, for the first time in literally more than two years, we got a new trailer for the long-gestating Marvel Comics adaptation The New Mutants. This was the first "proof of life" that 20th Century Fox, now owned by the Walt Disney Company, had given of this film since it first dropped a trailer back in October of 2017.
To provide a recap for anyone unfamiliar with the sordid history of this film, here are the undisputed facts: An adaptation of the Marvel Comics title "The New Mutants" was greenlit by 20th Century Fox back in 2015, way before they were bought by Disney and back when they had full film rights over the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe. Filming took place from July to September 2017, and a trailer dropped a month later with an announced release date of April 2018. Then, Disney bought out Fox, and the film's release date was reshuffled three more times, once to February 2019, then to August 2019, and finally, to April 2020.
As we go from firm facts to scuttlebutt and reports from unverified sources, we then consider reports of Disney being "unimpressed" with the cut that 20th Century Fox had prepared for release and unconvinced of its box-office potential, and read about about re-shoots designed to restore director Josh Boone's original vision, as well as the removal of any and all footage connecting the movie to any and all previous X-Men movies. We also take heart at the report of a better reception for the new iteration of the film at test screenings.
From there, we jump into the realm of speculation, where many of us latch onto the one truly interesting prospect: that Kevin Feige, depending on how well The New Mutants does in theaters, may well integrate the characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige has openly expressed his intent to integrate mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in several years' time; a warm reception for The New Mutants may expedite that process.
Given that the latest trailer was released bearing the 20th Century Fox trade dress as well as the simple "Marvel" as opposed to the "Marvel Studios" logo, it's clear that as of now The New Mutants is still its own thing, albeit apparently severed from the now-dead Fox X-Men universe. Disney is playing it safe in that regard, but given that they've retained the fairly competitive April release date and have cut a slick new trailer, it seems fairly clear that they're making a serious push for this movie, which, unlike the unloved Dark Phoenix has the distinction of being the first Marvel-based movie of the year, and the first to be released in over nine months. In short, unlike Dark Phoenix it could benefit from pent-up demand.
It's worth remembering that the first trailer that came out over two years ago for this film wasn't half-bad, and if anything this new one has reinforced the movie's potential to deliver something special.
For my part, having gorged myself on these MCU movies for the last decade, I have had my fill, especially with Avengers: Endgame providing as satisfying a conclusion as there could possibly be to this sprawling 22-movie saga, and I would not mind seeing something new, like the comic-book/horror hybrid this film promises to be. More than Black Widow which looks likely be thoroughly entertaining but which, if I'm honest, kind of has a same-old, same-old vibe to it, The New Mutants looks like it could herald something genuinely new and exciting for the MCU, assuming the "potential integration" rumor to be true. Also, with three strong, female characters, including Native American Blu Hunt, it's certainly no slouch in the "representation" department.
More important than scoring PC points, though, I find it refreshing to read about a director's original vision for a film being restored in a day and age in which so studios tend to micromanage films to death, especially franchise films. Many Spider-Man fans have heard or read about how Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach micromanaged Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise right into the ground, and I'm sure a ton of X-Men movie fans know how former Fox boss Tom Rothman repeatedly screwed that franchise right up until the time he was fired. Even Marvel hasn't been above micro-managing some of their films, always hovering over their directors even in the best of circumstances, so to read about them basically telling the director "we'll do it your way" is really encouraging.
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that the film will be any good, but given how often Feige has been able to spot the good Marvel adaptations, I remain cautiously optimistic.
The fact that Marvel's putting its marketing muscle behind this movie shows that the confidence is there, with the only question remaining is if the movie itself can deliver the goods.
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