The New Mutants Trailer Speculation

The trailer for Marvel’s The New Mutants was released earlier today at 12:01am and the buzz for the film has become overwhelming. The film is being released by 20^th Century Fox on another Friday the 13^th (in April of 2018), directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars), and written by Boone and Knate Gwaltney (Kidnap, The Cardboard Boxer).

The trailer looks to take place in an asylum of sorts with Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga, I am Legend) performing a series of tests on a group of troubled teens who also happened to be mutants. Rounding out the team is Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga (Teen Wolf) as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, and newcomer Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage. This will be the first superhero film that is also simultaneously a horror film. The visuals of the trailer alone seem to be an homage to the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street (Dream Warriors, anyone?) and Session 9.

Here's what we know so far:

• In the comics, Kitty Pryde had a pet dragon named Lockheed but it looks like that honor has shifted over to Magik here. A younger Illyana is briefly shown holding a stuffed dragon in the trailer.
• The film is said to be influenced by the works of Stephen King and John Hughes. Films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, and The Breakfast Club were inspirations for the production design.
• James McAvoy will appear as Professor Xavier in the film. Magneto is also rumored to be a part of the film in some capacity. Both Xavier and Magneto led The New Mutants team during different periods in the comics.
• A nightmarish creature known as Demon Bear will be the main villain. The film is directly influenced by Chris Claremont's run during and leading up to the Demon Bear saga, which is widely regarded as one of the best written comic book sagas ever.
• Writer/Director Josh Boone confirmed via Instagram that the techno-organic alien (and personal favorite) character Warlock will be a part of the film. Doug Ramsey/Cypher sheds a single tear since he wasn't even considered for a cameo appearance.

Demon Bear feeds on fear and negative emotions with doubt and anxiety bleeding through every frame of this trailer. The New Mutants symbolizes a team of young adults on the verge of something really extraordinary, which factors into dealing with puberty and the trials and tribulations of blossoming maturity. The film will be about five young mutants learning to control their abilities, but also confronting their horrific past in an effort to somewhat stabilize the present for a less traumatizing future.

Josh Boone is said to be a massive comic fan and has gone on record as saying the film will be extremely faithful to the source material. Judging by the trailer, it seems as though Boone has kept true to his word. One of the reasons Deadpool was so successful was that it was a comic book film that offered something different compared to every other superhero film that came before it. The New Mutants looks terrifying and has so much potential to be dreadfully captivating. I'd also be lying if I said Warlock being included may not make or break my opinion of the film overall. That's meant to be tongue in cheek (mostly).

In the meantime, we will all have to wait to visit this baby rattlesnake infested haunted house until April 13, 2018.