X-Men Producer on the "Vibe" of the New Mutants Movie, Early Casting Reported

Given the importance of ongoing movie universes to studios, it's little wonder that Fox are slowly expanding their slate of X-Men related projects. Deadpool and Wolverine sequels are due over the next couple of years, and now the franchise's producer Simon Kinberg has provided an update on X-Men spinoff The New Mutants.

Speaking to IGN, Kinberg confirmed that the movie was currently being written by The Fault in Our Stars director Josh Boone, who is also on board to helm it. "Josh and his writing partner are working on the script," Kinberg said. "They're doing a really nice job of it, and it's a really cool one, because in many ways, like Deadpool was so different from the mainline X-Men movies... it's maybe not as different as Deadpool, but it has its own unique, original voice. [It] has more of a YA [Young Adult] vibe to it."

It has also been rumoured that some initial casting has already taken place for The New Mutants. Hitfix have reported that Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams is attached to play shape-shifting Wolfsbane, with Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) on board as Magik, and Alexandra Shipp as Storm. Shipp can be seen playing the character in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, which hits cinemas in May. This casting news is currently unconfirmed by Fox.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that production another X-Men spinoff, Gambit, was being delayed until the end of the year. The film was originally set to be released in October, but the loss of the original director and the reported need for rewrites have meant that the movie is currently without a release date.

Fox currently has release slots open for three unspecified X-Men films, in October 2017, plus January and July of 2018. Wolverine 3 is already confirmed for March 2017, leaving Deadpool 2, Gambit, and possibly The New Mutants as the likeliest candidates at this time.