Josh Boone’s NEW MUTANTS will be “a full-fledged horror movie” set in the X-MEN universe.

THE NEW MUTANTS director Josh Boone recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about how the spin-off film will set bold new territory for the X-MEN universe.

“We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” he says. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”

Boone is basing the tone of his film from the comics, which took a “darker and more surreal and impressionistic” turn when artist Bill Sienkiewicz came aboard in 1984. “It felt like Stephen King meets John Hughes,” he raved.

These horror elements will come from the antagonist, the Demon Bear, who holds disturbing ties to the character of Dani Moonstar. An actress for Moonstar has yet to be announced, though that should be coming any day now.

Previously announced cast include Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik and Maisie Williams as Wolfsbane, along with *in negotiations* Henry Zaga as Sunspot and Rosario Dawson as Dr. Cecilia Reyes.

The film will follow young adult mutants as they’re held in a secret facility against their will. Battling the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their past, they aren’t out to save the world — they’re just trying to save themselves.

Boone loves that Fox “wants to make all these different X-Men spinoffs as drastically different as they can.”

As a major fan of the original Marvel comics, he says “You can’t have a bigger nerd or fan making this. It’s so important to me. I’m not the 12-year-old who decided to write Stephen King a letter and loved Marvel Comics anymore, but I try to hold myself accountable to that kid. Because that kid is what keeps me from becoming a Hollywood whore,” he says with a laugh. “I look back and think: Would he think this would be cool? Would he proud of me? Did I fulfill the dream we had when we were kids?

“So yeah, you can definitely say I’m excited.”

Production begins early July for a April “Friday the 13th” 2018 theatrical release.