The New Mutants has taken so long in coming out that you can hardly call it new anymore, seeing as it was shot in 2017, but at long last it’s on the verge of arriving. Last weekend, 20th Century Studios revealed a thrilling trailer and the opening minutes of the superhero flick that’ll take things in more of a psychological horror direction. Now, this extended synopsis has been released which clarifies more about the plot, as well as confirming a major X-Men connection.
Probably the most notable member of the film’s teen mutant team is Illyana Rasputin AKA Magik, as played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Comic fans will know that Illyana is the younger sister of Peter Rasputin AKA Colossus. We weren’t sure if The New Mutants was going to make this link clear or not, but the fact that it’s discussed in this synopsis seems to promise that the X-Men member will be name-checked in the movie.
“In this terrifying, action-fueled film based on the MARVEL comic series, 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? The tension and horror mount in this white-knuckle thrill ride directed by Josh Boone and co-written by Boone and Knate Lee.”
Colossus was played by Daniel Cudmore in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past, while Stefan Kapicic voices a fully-CG version of the hero in the Deadpool movies. Don’t expect him to show up in The New Mutants, though, as it won’t have any big cameos like that. Professor X and Storm did feature in an early version of the script, however, when it was supposed to be set around the same time as X-Men: Apocalypse.
Taylor-Joy is joined in the film by Maisie Williams as Wolfsbane, Charlie Heaton as Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Sunspot, Blu Hunt as Mirage and Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes. As surprising as it is, The New Mutants seems to be set on hitting theaters on August 28th, and we can only hope things remain that way.