Photo Credit: www.comiclist.com
By: Dave Clark
Fox in all of their infinite wisdom (sarcasm font) has gone ahead and decided to reboot Fantastic Four. I’m actually okay with this, because the original two films were garbage…especially the second one. When the news broke of the reboot, I remained skeptical but believed that they may get it right this time. When I read that Josh Trank (Chronicle) would be directing, a lot of the skepticism left. And then there were the rumors of making Dr. Doom a woman…needless to say the skepticism returned. But now we have the Four in full cast (mostly) and I’m eager to see this film.
Photo Credit: www.reelz.com
Let’s break this down by each character and actor. Kate Mara has taken the role of Sue Storm, or Invisible Woman. A role that was once held by Jessica Alba, and while she’s pretty to look at, it wasn’t the greatest of portrayals and that could be the horrible script to blame not her acting prowess. Mara has been in 24, House of Cards, We Are Marshall, and is the older sister of Rooney Mara. I like this casting and have faith she’ll give the character the performance she deserves.
Staying with the Storm bloodline, portraying her brother Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch will be Michael B. Jordan. He’s been linked to this role for a very long time now and it was thought to just be a rumor. I’m all for changing the race or gender (except with Dr. Doom) of a well-known character as long as it is for the right reasons. Jordan is an exceptional actor and I cannot wait to see him in this role. His performance in Fruitvale Station was amazing, and I loved him Friday Night Lights and in Chronicle. I’m excited to see what he brings to the table in this role, having had already worked with Trank on Chronicle.
Photo Credit: www.elle.com
Sue’s love interest and the leader of the Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic or Reed Richards is being rumored to be played by Miles Teller. This casting hasn’t been made official yet, although there is an offer for him to play the character on the table. Rumor is his commitment to Divergent and its sequel has caused scheduling issues. I was a big fan of his in the film The Spectacular Now but haven’t seen him in any of his other roles. I like the casting and hope they are able to sign him for the film, but I wouldn’t be devastated if they had to go a different route.
Last but not least, the character who famously screams out “Its clobbering time!” before leaping into action (No, not CM Punk) The Thing. This role can be tough to cast, I have no doubt in my mind. You have to have a certain attitude and voice to portray him accurately. I have no idea if they’re gonna go live action or CGI with The Thing after he’s effected by the gamma rays, and that’s extremely important to casting this role. The rumor is that Jamie Bell has been given the offer of the role but has yet to accept the role. I didn’t see that coming. He’s a good actor, I’ve enjoyed him in the films I’ve seen him in (Jumper, King Kong, Billy Elliot) but as Ben Grimm? Again I have my doubts, but if he is cast I will give him a shot and see the film open-mindedly.
Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org
I was not a big fan of the Fantastic Four comics when I was a kid. There was a cartoon I can remember watching when I was very young but that was the extent of my fandom with the Four. I knew of their history, their rouge’s gallery and the characters involved in their universe. They were the first family of superheroes, keeping family as a key part of their story. It’s been reported that this film will be based on the Ultimate Fantastic Four comic book series created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert. Its clear the studio is going for a much younger team as well which could be very interesting in what they do in the future if this film hits big in the box office. Rumors also state that they will somehow, eventually, be teamed up with the X-Men in a future film because Fox would like to capitalize on the team-up film money, like the Avengers and the up-coming Justice League.
So, I wanna know, how do you feel about this cast? Are you excited for this film? Do you think it’s smart to reboot this franchise? Who would you rather play these roles? Who would you cast as the young Victor Von Doom?