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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph Official "Fantastic Four" Reboot(s) Thread

Discussion in 'Community' started by Moviefan2k4, Feb 20, 2014.

  1. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    Well, if DC Cinematic Universe becomes a huge box office success, then I think Fox will follow suit and find a way to cross over F4 with the X-Men.

    But, like I said before, I'm fine with F4 being in a separate universe from the X-Men.

    What makes the reboot of F4 promising was hearing the film was influence by Cronenberg's scifi horror/thriller's Scanners and The Fly. The teaser had the Cronenberg vibe.

     
  2. Dingo

    Dingo Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 2001
    Just to revisit this for a moment, but do we have anywhere that has confirmed that right from the initial script stage that they intended for Johnny to be black and Sue white? Seriously, does anyone have this as I haven't found anything about the race of the characters until after the casting of Jordan? Because then it would be stunt casting.

    On the other hand, if things go as it looks to from some oblique references then it was just a by-product of the casting process. Prior to Trank being locked in for the director, Fox did some casting chemistry sessions which is where all the rumours about Jordan and Teller came from that Trank was denying until they ended up confirming for the roles after Trank had seen them. Now if these were the usual type of mixing sessions where they tried non-white actors for the roles of both Storm siblings (and potentially other roles) and it turned out that Jordan had brilliant chemistry with Teller and Mara, with Mara having better chemistry with Teller and Jordan than any of the other actors, why wouldn't they just make a slight alteration to the background of the characters to make it fit? It's not like it hasn't been done before where even male roles have been converted to female. Look at the TV show Blossom (was originally going to be about a teenage boy until they knew Mayim Bialik was available), Salt (written for Tom Cruise but changed for Angelina Jolie), and of course, Ripley in the Alien movies. Hell, Viola Davis' role in Ender's Game was originally that of a white male. If the mixed race of the siblings is a giant story point, then I would agree that it would likely be stunt casting. But if it gets only a glancing mention then it might just be a case of the best actors for the dynamic they wanted getting the part.
     
  3. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001

    Well, sure... if you ignore any and all history of race relations in the United States of America.

    The Storms have always been siblings; brother and sister.
    Sue and Reed have always been a thing (though in various degrees of infidelity over time).

    Making the always-white Johnny Storm black -- while making the always-white Sue adopted so she can still be white and not cause a mixed-race relationship with the still-white Reed -- is stunt casting. Let alone, I'd have to look at stats, but I'm pretty sure the incidence of black parents (let alone significantly workaholic, single black dads) adopting white children I'd imagine would be a very low number.

    I agree with Dani -- they wussed out; either they needed to commit to both being black or... yeah.
     
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  4. Yodaminch

    Yodaminch Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2002

    The only thing I have ever read about this is that Trank picked Jordan and Jordan never had to audition. So if there were others up for the role, it's never been mentioned. Whether that means this was planned from the script stage? I highly doubt it. I think it was just something Trank wanted when hired because he worked with him for Chronicle and thought he'd be good for the part.

    On the list of this movie's many sins, I'm not sure 'black human torch' is even on it. The only way it is relevant is if Fox is intending to hide behind it as an excuse for why fans are not in favor of the film and actively rooting for it to fail.
     
  5. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    Solid business plan
     
  6. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    This is what I understand the behind the scenes casting of Jordan for Johnny Storm to be; a decision based on talent and the director's familiarity of the actor and not because the color of the actor's skin.

    I really doubt that Johnny and Sue being adopted brother and sister will have any impact on their chemistry or the film's story.
     
  7. Diggy

    Diggy Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    You know, it works in The Jerk, so why not?

    And I'd love it if at the beginning, Sue says, "I was raised a poor black child."
     
  8. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    Awesome Steve Martin/The Jerk reference. I love that film. It would be amazing if Sue uttered those words.
     
  9. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    Two things:

    1. Watch Sue and Johnny Storm fly in alternate Fantastic Four trailer footage





    2. Fantastic Four: New Images Show Invisible Woman and
    Mole Man



    New Images:
    [​IMG]

    It had been known for some time before the film’s trailer premiered in January that the suits would be a departure from the comics and the existing ‘Fantastic Four’ films - but one of the many ways Josh Trank’s darker, more grounded reboot will differ from what came before.

    Even so, they seem to have found room within the ‘containment suits’ approach to give Kate Mara’s Sue Storm just a touch of glamour, with a rather flattering bodysuit that exposes her forearms; though this is of course nowhere near as provocative as the inescapably skin-tight and low-cut outfit Jessica Alba was given in the earlier Tim Story-directed films.

    We also can’t help noticing the pile of bodies Mara’s Invisible Woman appears to have left in her wake, which leaves us wondering whether her take on the character might also be a great deal more volatile than the version that came before her.


    [​IMG]

    Also, the eagle-eyed may notice that in the background of Miles Teller’s Reed Richards picture, we get our first glimpse of Tim Blake Nelson as Harvey Elder - set to become the villainous Mole Man.

    It is notable, however, that we’ve still yet to get at look at Toby Kebbell as Dr Doom - nor indeed have we had a proper look at any of the Fantastic Four in full powers mode, beyond a brief long shot of Johnny Storm bursting into flame and a couple of teasing glimpses of The Thing’s rock body in the trailer.

    [​IMG]

    Clearly they’re still out to build anticipation - and that’s an admirable approach, given how often the marketing of special effects-based movies tend to give away their biggest money shots.

    Director Trank has already likened the tone of his ‘Fantastic Four’ to David Cronenberg; now he points toward a Steven Spielberg influence, describing the film to Empire as “a dark Amblin movie… There’s the opportunity to make something that is challenging and tragic and dramatic. The opportunity is right there in the material. We’d rather steer it in that direction as opposed to just embracing a tone that comes right off the page.”

    Writer and producer Simon Kinberg concurs with Trank’s comparison to the work of Spielberg’s production company, saying “there was an Amblin-style approach to the characterisation, and to contextualising everything in a real world.”


    [​IMG]

    With its revisions to the characters and their origins, and a far more grounded and serious tone than most fans are used to, there’s already no question that ‘Fantastic Four’ will be unlike anything we’ve seen yet from this particular comic book property. Whether audiences will be pleased with the results remains to be seen.
     
  10. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    We got the FF trailer in front of Kingsman but I don't remember it being materially different from the internet version...
     
  11. Jedi Merkurian

    Jedi Merkurian Future Films Rumor Naysayer star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    May 25, 2000
    "Director Trank has already likened the tone of his ‘Fantastic Four’ to David Cronenberg..."

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    I actually have some faith in Trank, as he was selected by Disney to helm a Star Wars spinoff film. I do see the Cronenberg influence in the trailer.

    As for the difference between the online trailer and the one that played before the Kingsman is a split second of footage. If you blinked, you would have missed it.

    The online trailer, after Reed appears to stretch his left arm it cuts to a black screen, CLICK HERE to see it as it set to that scene.

    The trailer before the Kingsman, there's a split second of additional footage after Reed appears to stretch his left arm (which is not on the online trailer) and then cuts to black, CLICKY HERE to see it as it's set to that scene.
     
  13. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    I don't mind this direction. I know it's not the F4 the fans want, but I don't think there's that big a market for the campy cheerful F4 that is how it's supposed to be. Just like there wouldn't have been an audience for Superman: The Movie in today's market. Which is why they Hancock'd it. I didn't like MOS in the end, but that was for several reasons, not just the tone.
     
  14. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001

    Guardians of the Galaxy says hi?
     
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  15. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    Yeah, I guess you have a good point. I suppose the main reason they're doing it this way is to differentiate it as much as possible from the previous franchise.
     
  16. JediJen-aaha

    JediJen-aaha Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2002
    I recently watched the trailer and it did nothing for me. Personally, I'm tired of EVERYTHING being rebooted.
     
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  17. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    I'm still a big fan of the material dictating the tone of the film and not the filmmaker or the studio deciding in advance "we want a dark and gritty X" simply for the sake of dark and gritty. It's been one of my main complaints about DC, since Green Lantern failed trying to be a relatively light-hearted space opera, so they appeared to then attempt to treat everyone like Batman.

    Not everyone is Batman. Superman isn't Batman. Oliver Queen isn't really Batman, but people like the show and I'm in favor of John Barrowman getting work. But they appear to have learned their lesson. The Flash -- possibly the least-likely superhero in DC for anything involving the words "dark" or "gritty" -- has been amazing, with a light touch, comedic timing, and not a little bit of heart. Green Lantern didn't fail because it was light-hearted, it failed because the plot was stupid and Earth-bound -- and I think we're going to see better things now.

    Mavel sort of knew that up-front. Even Fox knew it at one point, but they succumbed to the same issues DC eventually did. When X-Men kicked this off somewhat, Bryan Singer made it a more grounded (but still totally not) film about the other. The people trying to fit in and doing great things (yes, it was a thinly veiled gay analogy). And that was the perfect tone for that film series to take. And exactly the wrong tone for The Hulk to take. But Marvel knowing that Iron Man needs one tone -- and it's not the same tone as The Incredible Hulk, Thor or Captain America was well-spotted.

    Fantastic Four was the original "we're superheroes and we love being rock stars in public" people for the most part. Nothing about them ever screamed dark and gritty. I get where Trank is coming from when he references Cronenburg and I get that he feels that there's an actual sci-fi story there to tell, but this is the wrong property to make a "dark and gritty" sci-fi story. Now, granted, this is just what they're a) saying and b) showing and c) rumoring -- so it might all be BS. It might be a fun, actual sci-fi story about people who struggle with their unexpected changes brought on by science and not fitting in and then becoming rock stars -- which would roughly hew towards FF as a property.

    It can be done. I'm just not optismistic.
     
  18. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Those Kingsman shots make for a slightly better punctuation to the trailer. That one shot of Reed stretching out in a quick glimpse does not register at all as him doing anything more than reaching.



    There you go again, suggesting The Flash is good... ;)

    (You're overall point about the character not needing to be dark and gritty like Batman is solid, however)
     
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  19. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    Teller sort of did the disturbed determined genius thing in Whiplash so I get the feeling he'll bring that vibe here too. He's also good for a quip or two which will automatically make him better at cracking jokes that whoeverthehell that guy who is on Forever now was in the first two Tim Story FF flicks.
     
  20. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001

    Ioan Gruffudd is awesome, you take that back!
     
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  21. Lazy Storm Trooper

    Lazy Storm Trooper Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2012
    I still "boycotting" this movie (as in I will watch via DVR like I did with TASM2) because I want the F4 back at Marvel still, also I'm pretty sure this movie will be crap.
     
  22. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012

    I thought Michael Chicklis did a good "Silver Age" style Thing in those movies with the requisite pouting, got the odd kick outta Julian McMahon's mugging as Doctor Doom here and there (even though it was a terrible version of Doom), thought Lawrence Fishburne did a good voice for Silver Surfer, and naturally Chris Evans totally nailed Johnny Storm. Rest of the ensemble in those FF flicks? Eh, not so much love on my end.
     
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  23. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I actually do lament that we never got the SS spin-off they were considering at the time. The combination of Doug Jones and Larry F made for a cool depiction of the character- and the promise of a JMS-penned script and potentially fixing the whole Galactus cloud thing made it a tempting prospect.
     
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  24. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    The only film that guy has in his future is a Mitt Romney biopic.
     
  25. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 22, 2000
    That's why I didn't think Rise of the Silver Surfer wasn't that bad. Aside from Jessica Alba's make up and poop cloud Galactus it was a pretty well conceived movie. (I mentally blocked out Reed Richards dancing and therefore doesn't exist).

    I'm willing to give Trank's vision a chance, much like I gave Snyder's Man of Steel a chance.