The New Mutants Director Explains Why They’re Not at Xavier’s Mansion

The X-Men franchise will wrap up with the release of the spinoff movie The New Mutants in a few months, but the film promises to be unlike anything we’ve seen yet from the superhero franchise. Instead of the typical action adventures we get with most mutant movies, The New Mutants is leaning heavily into the horror genre — and that’s why its cast of characters won’t be set in the familiar confines of the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Instead, it’s set in what appears to be a derelict mental institution, which probably isn’t the best choice for their group’s mental health.

Director Josh Boone spoke with the press at a set visit for The New Mutants and explained why the film couldn’t be set at the X-Mansion.

“They’re very much in a place that’s like a psych hold for mutants who are too dangerous to be at the mansion,” Boone explained. “I’d tell you more, but there’s twists and turns and all that. But yeah, there’s a doctor there who helps them and they do that stuff. Like I said, a little Girl Interrupted and [One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest] and a horror movie.”

We do know that the film was shot in the same location as Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio. The New Mutants set designer Molly Hughes explained how they used the location to lean into the horror aspects, making it unlike any other X-Men movies.

“We settled on here because, well, it’s beautiful and it’s isolated and we could have kind of the run of it,” Hughes said. “We did a lot of demolition to create our interiors because we couldn’t just walk into our interiors and shoot them. Most of them were falling down. We kind of came here for the shell. I love the windows and the trees and the old red brick. It has that New England, Salem Witch Trials, possibly English, playing on the X-Mansion, kind of turning that on its head. That’s how we ended up here.”

So fans shouldn’t expect Xavier’s team of superheroes to save the day, as these kids will likely be forced to rescue themselves and escape their treacherous confines, while solving the mystery of why they’ve been trapped in the first place.

The New Mutants premieres in theaters on April 3rd.

[h/t ScreenRant]