I’ve been highly anticipating Josh Boone’s supernatural thriller New Mutants for a couple of years now (The first trailer dropped back in 2017), and the film has yet to see the light of the day. Between the “horror friendly” reshoots that never happened and this year’s global pandemic, we can only speculate whats going on behind the scenes. The film’s theatrical release date was delayed a total of four times, and it’s upcoming August 28th premiere appears less likely now. That being said, now is the perfect time to fancast New Mutants for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

DISNEY ACQUISITION

In 2018, the Disney-Fox merger was finalized (Disney owned 21st Century Fox Studios, and all of it’s assets), meaning the X-Men and it’s associated properties would be part of the MCU.

Following the acquisition of Fox by Disney, New Mutants never saw the light of day. You see, New Mutants was originally filmed back in 2017 under Fox, with an April 2018 release date. Two and half years later, the film has yet to hit theaters. It’s most recent attempt was back in April. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed once again. Although the film is finished and has retained its initial cut (Rumors about reshoots were on the horizon), it’s August 28th release data seems more than unlikely.

THE PITCH

My suggestion…release New Mutants on Disney+ as a standalone film, and begin planning a new film to introduce the characters into the MCU. Maybe just maybe Kevin Feige will recast the film with fresh faces, and more comic accurate depictions of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, Anya Taylor-Joy was my first choice Majik, but the original cast has aged and matured since principal photography began back in 2017.

THE SYNOPSIS

This film will pay homage to the original comic book, while incorporating modern themes:

Five teenagers, with extraordinary abilities, arrive to the time displaced city of Nova Roma for troubled mutant boot camp. After experiencing a series of nightmares and supernatural occurrences, they fight to accept their past sins and escape captivity.

FANCAST

So, in no particular order, here’s my roster for New Mutants:

BRIANNE TJU as KARMA (XI’AN COY MAHN)

When the New Mutants trailer dropped back in 2017, Karma was missing in action. Her absence was met with a lot of confusion from fans. In the comics, Karma is the original team leader. So, she needs to be there! Plus, she is one of the first lesbian characters introduced in Marvel comics.  That said, I’m sure Kevin Feige will have no problem including Karma this time around. Brianne Tju is my pick to play her.

JOEY KING as WOLFSBANE (RAHNE SINCLAIR)

With two major awards under her belt, Joey King has the acting chops to bring Wolfsbane to life. Don’t believe me, check out here imdb credits here. This young star is on the rise! Disney better snag her quick before she signs up for another major franchise.

AMBER MIDTHUNDER as MIRAGE (DANIELLE MOONSTAR)

The lack of indigenous actresses in Hollywood is quite disappointing to say the least. Luckily, the X-men franchise was previously introduced to Native American actress, Amber Midthunder. Sound familiar? Amber plays mutant Kerry Loudermilk on the FX original show, Legion. Luckily, Legion has no direct connection to the MCU. So, Amber can easily transition over to Disney as Mirage.

JHARREL JEROME as SUNSPOT (ROBERTO DA COSTA)

Breakout star Jharrel Jerome would be the perfect addition to New Mutants as Sunspot. Although he is not Brazilian like his comic book counterpart, Jharrel is afro-latino, which is true to the source material. Plus, the boy can act! Have you seen “When They See Us?” Jharrel delivered!

ASA BUTTERFIELD as CANNONBALL (SAMUEL GUTHRIE)

Asa Butterfield is one of my personal favorites. He plays Otis Milburn on Sex Education, and brings a lot of innocent, yet witty antics to the show. Plus, he was the front-runner to portray Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. So, he’s already on Feige’s radar. Cannonball seems more fitting.

ELLE FANNING as MAGIK (ILLYANA RASPUTIN)

I’ve been familiar with Elle Fanning’s work since Super 8, and always thought she was destined to play a Marvel related character. Not only is she a household name, Elle Fanning is the missing piece to this fresh franchise. Her acting range could really bring Magik to life. Hook Elle up with a bang, metal arm, and sword and she’s ready for battle!

THE VILLAIN

The first New Mutants film deserves a ruthless villain to carry the film. I’m not anticipating a cosmic entity like Thanos, but someone who lerks in the shadows. Perhaps, their motives will span across different MCU films. Who is a better villain than the Hellfire Club’s Black Queen, Selene? Not only is she an immortal vampire, Selene is a pivotal member of the Hellfire Club, which has yet to be reintroduced since the acquisition.

THANDIE NEWTON as SELENE

In terms of casting, I would consider Thandie Newton as the role of Selene. She’s a strong enough actress to portray a elegant vampire with ulterior motives. Plus, I’m interested in seeing Thandie portray a villain. She usually plays the protagonist in most of her films.

So, there we have it. I’ve fancasted a New Mutants film without diving too much into a plot. Be sure to look out for Josh Boone’s New Mutants film in the near future.

Thanks for reading,

-Bryce Lennon

Old news, but the X-men are finally making their debut in the MCU! When? That’s to be announced, but I know all the excitement is coming soon.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot for Fox’s X-men films (Despite all the continuity errors), but they never got my girl Ororo Monroe, aka Storm, correctly depicted on screen. After six film portrayals, we still don’t know much about our favorite weather witch, but yet, Fox used her face on every poster and dvd cover. So, what gives? How is our beloved character worthy for promotional materials, but not worthy of three lines in the film? In this post, I plan to discuss Storm’s portrayal in previous and future films. Who are your top picks to play Ororo Monroe in the near distant future? Read below for more insight!

Background

Within the entire X-Men franchise, we never really understood Storm’s purpose in the series. On the one hand, you have this beautiful, black woman that has so much of potential to be equally iconic as her comic book counterpart. Unfortunately, Storm plays second fiddle to all her teammates.

By X2, we can all agree that Storm serves as the token minority with little to no character development, other than her implied “fear” of humans. Remember the first film (Her random moment with Senator Kelly)? It was one of her very few, limited, fleshed out moments in the series. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that “Kenyan” accent that magically disappears after the first film. Try again Fox!

Singer attempted to redeem himself with X-Men Apocalypse, but of course, that was another failure. Here, Storm is depicted as a teenage, Egyptian thief with a soft spot for her idol Mystique (Weird). She eventually meets an ancient prophet, receives a power boost (White hair included), serves as one of four henchmen, and eventually joins the team. In the next movie, she is once again reduced to a background character with limited power displays and flight. Okay, that sounds great and all, but that’s extremely underwhelming? As one of the most popular comic book characters, the different variations of Storm can barely reach their film potential.

Oh, and we can’t forget to speak on colorism in Hollywood (There is no way around the conversation without diving in 100%). As a man of color myself, I have noticed that many of the actresses depicted as black women in big, blockbuster films are mostly lighter skinned (bi-racial; biracial latina; inidienous afro-latina). To date, Storm has been depicted by two biracial actresses, Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp. I understand Halle’s casting in the film (Coming off an Oscar win), but Mystique would have been a better choice for her. Could you imagine Halle serving us looks in blue skin?!

They should have left the Storm slot open to Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox, N’Bushe Wright, Theresa Randle, or Gina Torres. Heck, Sallie Richardson-Whitfield or Thandie Newton would have been better than what we got on screen. Could you imagine two, black actresses leading a comic book movie as Storm and Mystique? X-Men would have been even more ahead of its time for sure.

As of lately, the film industry has made a movement towards uplifting women of color with opportunities outside of traditional stereotypes. We are moving away from the token, sad, angry, hyper-sexualized, finger waving troupe that has been projected on some of our favorite, darker skinned actresses. That being said, we have to jump on this opportunity to cast a more comic book accurate Storm. This is our time!

DRAFT PICKS

So, who should play this emotionally stable, African American/Kenyan weather goddess that has a fear of closed spaces in the MCU? Take a look a my picks below, in no specific order.

Deborah Ayorinde

Based on the look alone, Deborah Ayorinde captures the true essence of Ororo Monroe. Plus, she has a British accent, which would be an interesting take on the character.

Michaela Coel

I immediately fell in love with Michaela Coel’s work after watching Chewing Gum on Netflix. So awkward, yet refreshing! That being said, Michaela is ready for her big screen debut in America. Let’s make this one happen Marvel!

Yaya DaCosta

From Lee Daniels’ the Butler to Chicago Med, this ANTM alum has more than enough experience to lead a new Marvel franchise as Storm. I’ve been ready for YaYa to get her hands dirty for quite some time.

Anna Diop

Source: IMDB

Anna Diop is known for portraying StarFire on Titans , and she does one heck of a job! It’s not easy portraying an alien on the small screen. With one super heroin under her belt, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvel has their eyes set on casting Anna to the future X-Men franchise.

Jade Eshete

Source: IMDB

I actually stumbled across this beauty on Instagram, and was instantly intrigued. After doing a little research and watching a few youtube videos,  we can all agree that Jade is also one heck of an actress! I wonder if Marvel plans on going with an unknown for this role? If so, Jade should be a top contender.

Meagan Good

There is no need to discuss her acting credentials because her name speaks for itself. She is beautiful and has the acting chops to embody Storm (It’s quite surprising that Meagan Good is quite overlooked for this role. I even almost forgot to include her in this roster).

Kiki Layne

Source: IMDB

Newcomer Kiki Layne is the new fan favorite to play Storm. I have yet to see her work outside of If Beale Street Could Talk, but she actually WANTS to play Storm. That said, I’m rooting for her as well!

Janelle Monáe

Source: GQ

If we were having this conversation ten years ago, Janlle Monáe would have been completely overlooked. Now that I’ve seen her in action, I think she is ready for her MCU debut. If Storm is out the question, we should consider Dr. Cecelia Reyes or the Dazzler (Since they lightened up Cecelia in the New Mutants film, we can add some color to Alison Blair 🙂 ).

Jade Turner Smith

Source: IMDB

Who wasn’t talking about Jade Turner Smith in Queen and Slim last month?! Once she cut off those braids, slid in to that snakeskin dress, and put on those knee high boots, she gave me every bit of Storm. Will the MCU be her next stop?

DeWanda Wise

Source: IMDB

Similar to KiKi Lane, DeWanda Wise has also campaigned to play Storm in the MCU. While originally casted in Captain Marvel as Maria Rambeau, I’m sure DeWanada still has a few ties with Marvel. I can even see them saving this role for her.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ryan Destiny

Ashley Blaine Featherson

Samira Wiley

How do you feel about this roster? Who do you want to play Storm? Feel free and share in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!

-Bryce Lennon