New Mutants is expected to begin filming in July, and director Josh Boone has been filling out the movie’s cast roster over the last couple of months. All of the titular superhero team members have been cast, and the most recent addition to the list is Alice Braga (Teresa Mendoza in USA Network’s Queen of the South) in a supporting role.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Braga's character in the April 13, 2018 release is Dr. Cecilia Reyes, “a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself, but also has more going on than she lets on”.
You might recall that around a month ago, we learned that Rosario Dawson, (Claire Temple in Netflix's Marvel Television shows), had entered negotiations with 20th Century Fox for the New Mutants role that was ultimately given to Braga. However, for some unknown reason, the 38-year-old actress had to pass on the project, and Braga stepped in.
Rosario Dawson was previously in talks for the role of New Mutants’ Dr. Cecilia Reyes. (Photo Credit – Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
In addition to Alice Braga, the New Mutants cast roster includes Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) as Magik, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Wolfsbane, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) as Cannonball, Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as Sunspot, and Blu Hunt (The Originals) as Mirage. Boone worked with Knate Lee to pen the script.
Throughout the last couple of years, Fox has infused its X-Men film series with distinct flavors in Deadpool and Logan. Now, they’re hoping for similar results as they take a horror-thriller approach with New Mutants. The movie is expected to draw heavily on Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod, and Bill Sienkiewicz’s comics from the 1980s with the story of "five diverse teens learning to cope with their superpowers who must escape a secret facility where they are being held against their will”.
Along with Queen of the South, Braga has appeared in numerous ventures in Brazil and Hollywood. Her big screen credits include I Am Legend, Predators, The Rite, and Elysium.
