If Fox's very ambitious attempt to produce another "Fantastic Four" flops, I think, it is safe to assume that we all know the reason why.
The upcoming reboot is scheduled to hit theaters on 19 June 2015. However, this early, it became a polarizing topic among comic book and film fans due to its unconventional casting choices and a jarring new take on the classic characters.
The first two films, released in 2005 and 2007, were profitable but bombed with critics. Fox clearly hopes that rebooting Fantastic Four will give it a second main Marvel franchise to complement the X-Men characters.
The main problem, however, is that director Josh Trank, whose only previous film was the found-footage superhero film "Chronicle," doesn't plan to base the new Fantastic Four film on the comics at all. Is this blasphemy or what?
Kate Mara, who stars as the new Sue 'Invisible Woman' Storm, recently told Esquire Mexico that Trank advised the cast not to read any Fantastic Four comics because it "won't be based on any history of anything already published." Michael B. Jordan, who stars as Johnny 'Human Torch' Storm, told MTV News that the film was about "kids that had an accident" coping with disabilities. At a Crave Online interview, writer Simon Kinberg declared that the film would be a "more gritty, realistic movie" than its predecessors.
If this is the case, then why not use another platform to promote respect for people who are at a disadvantage. It doesn't make sense to make a "Fantastic Four" not based on, well .... the "Fantastic Four."
Trank's casting choices have also been unconventional. Ben "The Thing" Grimm, who was traditionally a beefy character prior to his transformation, will reportedly be played by Jamie Bell, the short and slim protagonist of AMC's Turn. Casting Jordan, a black actor, as Johnny Storm has also raised eyebrows considering that he is supposed to be Sue Storm's brother. How can a white blonde be biologically related to an African-American when the original story says otherwise?
Put all of these factors together, along with Kinberg's promise of a "gritty" film, and Trank's new "Fantastic Four" feels too much like a film trying too hard not to be a "Fantastic Four" film.
The upcoming reboot is scheduled to hit theaters on 19 June 2015. However, this early, it became a polarizing topic among comic book and film fans due to its unconventional casting choices and a jarring new take on the classic characters.
The first two films, released in 2005 and 2007, were profitable but bombed with critics. Fox clearly hopes that rebooting Fantastic Four will give it a second main Marvel franchise to complement the X-Men characters.
The main problem, however, is that director Josh Trank, whose only previous film was the found-footage superhero film "Chronicle," doesn't plan to base the new Fantastic Four film on the comics at all. Is this blasphemy or what?
Kate Mara, who stars as the new Sue 'Invisible Woman' Storm, recently told Esquire Mexico that Trank advised the cast not to read any Fantastic Four comics because it "won't be based on any history of anything already published." Michael B. Jordan, who stars as Johnny 'Human Torch' Storm, told MTV News that the film was about "kids that had an accident" coping with disabilities. At a Crave Online interview, writer Simon Kinberg declared that the film would be a "more gritty, realistic movie" than its predecessors.
If this is the case, then why not use another platform to promote respect for people who are at a disadvantage. It doesn't make sense to make a "Fantastic Four" not based on, well .... the "Fantastic Four."
Trank's casting choices have also been unconventional. Ben "The Thing" Grimm, who was traditionally a beefy character prior to his transformation, will reportedly be played by Jamie Bell, the short and slim protagonist of AMC's Turn. Casting Jordan, a black actor, as Johnny Storm has also raised eyebrows considering that he is supposed to be Sue Storm's brother. How can a white blonde be biologically related to an African-American when the original story says otherwise?
Put all of these factors together, along with Kinberg's promise of a "gritty" film, and Trank's new "Fantastic Four" feels too much like a film trying too hard not to be a "Fantastic Four" film.
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