Director Josh Boone’s THE NEW MUTANTS X-Men spin-off is in pre-production.

THE NEW MUTANTS director Josh Boone has been busy preparing for production on his film, which allegedly starts filming in May. He instagrammed a photo of himself on the grounds of 20th Century Fox, where he’s “staring off into the middle distance on the Fox lot during a break” from pre-production. Included in the post was a mention of writer Knate Lee, who took the shot.

Rumored for release in 2018, upcoming film will follow a group of young mutants who must face the Demon Bear, a mystical force that draws power from negative human emotion.

As hinted by the director, the team roster will likely include fan-favorites such as Dani Moonstar, Cannonball, Magik, Wolfsbane, Sunspot and Warlock, among other supporting characters. Professor Xavier and Storm were previously rumored to have roles, though nothing has been officially announced or confirmed.

‘The New Mutants’ is one of three X-MEN related films set to go into production this year, with DEADPOOL 2 and the next untitled X-MEN going before cameras later this Summer.

A release date has not been announced, but Fox has pre-scheduled June 29, 2018 and November 2, 2018 as potential dates for their Marvel projects.

Staring off into the middle distance on the #foxlot during a break. Thanks @knatelee #newmutants #makingmovies #makingmovieswithfriends #xmen #clouds

A post shared by Josh Boone (@joshboonemovies) on Apr 8, 2017 at 6:46am PDT

#birthdaycake #prep #newmutants #productionoffices

A post shared by Josh Boone (@joshboonemovies) on Apr 5, 2017 at 4:49pm PDT