Fantastic Four (2015 film)

This article is about the 2015 film. For other uses, see Fantastic Four (disambiguation).
Fantastic Four

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Josh Trank
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Simon Kinberg
  • Jeremy Slater
  • Josh Trank
Based on Fantastic Four 
by Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Starring
Music by
Cinematography Matthew Jensen[2]
Edited by Elliot Greenberg
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • August 7, 2015
Country United States
Language English
Budget $122 million[3]

Fantastic Four (stylized as Fant4stic in promotional material) is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the third theatrical Fantastic Four film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, and a reboot of the Fantastic Four film franchise. Directed by Josh Trank, with a screenplay by Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater and Trank, the film stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson. In Fantastic Four, the team must learn to harness abilities gained from an alternate universe to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

In August 2009, the development of the film was announced. In July 2012, Trank was hired to direct and Slater to write the screenplay. In October 2013, Kinberg was hired as a co-writer. By January 2014, Kinberg finished rewriting the script and casting began. Principal photography commenced in May 2014 and concluded in August the same year. The film was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Fantastic Four is scheduled for release on August 7, 2015 in North America, in 2D and 3D theaters.

Premise

When four people teleport to an alternate universe, which alters their physical form and grants them new abilities, they must learn to harness their abilities and work together as a team to save the Earth from a familiar enemy.[4]

Cast

After school, Richards has been exploring the universe in his garage. After being transformed by one of his experiments, he gained the ability to warp the space around him and stretch his body into different forms and lengths.[5] Teller said of the role, "When I read the script, I didn't feel like I was reading this larger-than-life, incredible superhero tale. These are all very human people that end up having to become, I guess, what is known as the Fantastic Four. So for me it was just a really good story and gives me an opportunity to play something different from my own skin."[6]
A troublemaker and thrill-seeker, Storm has the ability to shoot fireballs and flight.[7] Jordan said of the cast, "We're more or less a bunch of kids that had an accident and we have disabilities now that we have to cope with, and try to find a life afterwards – try to be as normal as we can."[8] Jordan previously worked with Trank for 2012's Chronicle and according to Trank, Jordan's character in Chronicle shared characteristics to Johnny Storm.[9] Trank described Storm as "smart, hilarious and charismatic."[10]
Brilliant, independent and sarcastic, Storm has the ability to become invisible and generate force-fields.[11] Mara said that she was supposed to read the Fantastic Four comic books for preparation. However, director Josh Trank suggested to her that it was unnecessary, with writer Simon Kinberg adding that the film is not based on a single issue of the Fantastic Four comic books.[12] Mara has also said that she intended to focus on making her character "as real as possible".[13] Trank described Storm as "smart, dignified and has integrity."[14]
Warm, sensitive, a loyal and protective friend, Grimm's stone body gives him super-strength and makes him "indestructible".[15] Trank said Grimm has a childhood element in the film who was an alienated kid from a "tough" neighborhood.[9] Trank also said that Bell has "qualities" of warmth and strength which people would want to see from Grimm.[14] In preparation for the motion-capture performance, Bell approached actor Andy Serkis for advice.[16]
An anti-social programmer known as "Doom" online. Kebbell said that while playing the role, he concentrated the most on the voice of the character. He added, "on the animated series, they never got his voice what I imagined it to be when I read the comics as a little boy. What I spent the majority of my time doing was not just being a fan, but being a bit of pedant and making sure I got exactly what I always wanted to see."[17] Kinberg said that Doom is as central to the film as the "titular" heroes. He added that Doom has "aspirations and struggles that are a little bit more classically tragic than the other characters" and that the film will feature how he becomes a villain.[18]

Additionally, Reg E. Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson star as Dr. Franklin Storm and Harvey Elder, respectively.

Production

Development

"This Fantastic Four movie is sort of a celebration of all the Fantastic Four comics that have preceded it. We have elements from the original Fantastic Four that there's a sort of optimism and inspirational quality to the film. In some ways a comedy that was really distinct in the original Fantastic Four. Also, the notion of this dysfunctional surrogate family that comes together and has to work together is very present in the movie that owes a great debt to the originals and this idea that they are scientist and that it's almost like this science adventure, more than being superheroes... We also owe a lot to the Ultimate's and the current crop of Fantastic Four comics."[12]

—Simon Kinberg on adapting the Fantastic Four comic books into film.

In August 2009, 20th Century Fox announced a reboot of the Fantastic Four film franchise. Akiva Goldsman was attached as producer and Michael Green was hired to write the script.[19] In July 2012, Josh Trank was hired to direct and Jeremy Slater was hired as screenwriter.[20][21] In February 2013, Matthew Vaughn was attached as a producer and Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to polish the script.[22][23] In October, Simon Kinberg was hired to co-write and produce the film.[24]

Kinberg said that the film is a celebration of all Fantastic Four comic books and its inspired by its history. He added that Trank had a vision for the film to be more grounded, more character driven, more emotional, and a little more dramatic compared to the previously released Fantastic Four films.[12] According to 20th Century Fox's consultant for their Marvel Comics based films, Mark Millar, it would take place in the same universe as the X-Men film series.[25] However, Kinberg contradicted his statement.[26]

Trank said that the film is heavily influenced by David Cronenberg, and that 1981's Scanners and 1986's The Fly influenced the look of the film.[9]

Casting

In January 2014, Kinberg has finished rewriting the script and casting for the roles of Reed Richards and Sue Storm began.[27] Miles Teller, Kit Harington, Richard Madden and Jack O'Connell were tested for the role of Reed Richards, while Kate Mara, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie and Emmy Rossum were tested for Susan Storm.[28][29] In February, it was revealed that Michael B. Jordan would play Johnny Storm / Human Torch and Mara was cast as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman.[30] In March, Toby Kebbell was cast as Doctor Doom.[31] Teller confirmed that he would portray Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic and in addition, confirmed Jamie Bell had been cast as Ben Grimm / The Thing.[6] Sam Riley, Eddie Redmayne, and Domhnall Gleeson were considered for Doctor Doom.[32] In April, Tim Blake Nelson entered final negotiations to play Harvey Elder.[33] In May, Reg E. Cathey was cast as Sue's and Johnny's father, Dr. Storm.[34]

Filming

Principal photography lasted for 72 days, it commenced on May 5, 2014 at Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and ended on August 23, 2014.[9][35][36][37] The film was planned to be shot in Vancouver, Canada, but was moved to Louisiana due to the state's film production tax incentives.[38]

Post-production

The film is using OTOY for the visual effects. According to Josh Trank, with the use of cloud-rendering technology from OTOY, they can create visual effects at a much lower cost.[39] Moving Picture Company and Weta Digital are attached to create visual effects.[40][41] The film will also be converted to 3D in post-production.[42]

Music

In January 2015, Marco Beltrami was hired to compose the film's score.[43] Philip Glass is also attached to compose the score with Beltrami.[9]

Release

The film is scheduled for release in North America on August 7, 2015 in 2D and 3D theaters.[44] The film was originally scheduled in December 2012 for a March 6, 2015 release date,[45] and was later changed again in November 2013 to June 19, 2015.[46]

Marketing

The teaser trailer for Fantastic Four was released in January 2015 to generally positive reviews.[47] Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter gave the trailer a positive review, stating that it's a "surprisingly strong step in the right direction for a faithful adaptation of an often-problematic property."[48] Abraham Riesman of New York's Vulture also responded to the trailer positively, saying that the film "could be the most innovative and tonally unique marquee superhero movie."[49] However, correspondents for Newsarama noted that there was "nothing" in the trailer to characterize it as being based on the Fantastic Four, feeling it could have easily have been a substitute for similar science-fiction films such as 2014's Interstellar.[50] The trailer became the most-watched trailer in 20th Century Fox's history, surpassing the previous record-holder, 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.[18]

The second trailer for the film was released in April 2015.[51] Sean O'Connell of Cinema Blend called the trailer "amazing" and said "[it] does a much better job of setting up everyone's roles."[52] Drew McWeeny of HitFix said the film "looks like it was approached with serious intent" and that the scale "feels positively intimate."[53] In the same month, the cast attended CinemaCon to present footage from the film, which also generated positive reviews.[54]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2015 CinemaCon Awards CinemaCon Ensemble Award Fantastic Four Won [55]

Sequel

A sequel is scheduled to be released on June 9, 2017.[56]

References

  1. ↑ "FANTASTIC FOUR In Theaters August 2015". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  2. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 3, 2013). "Six Montana Artists Agents & Executives Led By Toppers Matt Birch & Ralph Berge Join APA". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ Pamela McClintock (April 21, 2015). "Summer Box Office: What's Behind Warner Bros.' Risky Move to Release Nine Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ Bussey, Ben (November 28, 2014). "The Fantastic Four Synopsis Released". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ "FANTASTIC FOUR In Theaters August 2015". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Vejvoda, Jim (March 8, 2014). "Miles Teller on What Appealed to Him About The Fantastic Four Reboot". IGN. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ "FANTASTIC FOUR In Theaters August 2015". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ Roedel, Jeff (July 22, 2014). "Michael B. Jordan talks Fantastic Four". 225batonrouge.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Weintaub, Steve (January 27, 2015). "'The Fantastic Four' Movie Details, Images, Easter Eggs, Tone, and More". Collider. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Fantastic Four Michael B. Jordan Cast Commentary". April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "FANTASTIC FOUR In Theaters August 2015". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Chavez, Kellvin (July 23, 2014). "Exclusive: Talking Fantastic Four and X-Men: Apocalypse with Simon Kinberg". Latino Review. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  13. ↑ Wigler, Josh (July 15, 2014). "Kate Mara, Future Fantastic Four Star, Has Never Read a Comic Book". MTV News. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Nemiroff, Perri (February 26, 2015). "Fantastic Four Details on The Thing's Transformation Cocoon and More". Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  15. ↑ "FANTASTIC FOUR In Theaters August 2015". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  16. ↑ Blickley, Leigh (April 9, 2015). "Jamie Bell Worked With Andy Serkis to Perfect The Thing in Fantastic Four". Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  17. ↑ Goldberg, Matt (November 10, 2014). "Exclusive: Toby Kebbell Reveals Doctor Doom's Radically New Origin in THE FANTASTIC FOUR Movie". Collider. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Franich, Darren (January 30, 2015). "'X-Men: Apocalypse': Rose Byrne returning as Moira MacTaggert -- Exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Fox is Rebooting Fantastic Four". SuperHeroHype.com. August 31, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Comic-Con: Fantastic Four Director Confirmed While Daredevil Director Exits". SuperHeroHype.com. July 11, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  21. ↑ Perry, Spencer (July 13, 2012). "Comic-Con: Fantastic Four Reboot Gets a Writer". SuperHeroHype.com. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  22. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (February 22, 2013). "Matthew Vaughn to Produce Fantastic Four". Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  23. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (February 26, 2013). "Seth Grahame-Smith Boards Fantastic Four". SuperHeroHype.com. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  24. ↑ Kit, Borys (October 1, 2013). "Simon Kinberg Tapped to Write 'Fantastic Four' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  25. ↑ Perry, Spencer (August 19, 2013). "Will Fantastic Four Share a Universe with X-Men?". SuperHeroHype.com. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  26. ↑ Toro, Gabe (May 12, 2014). "Don't Expect To See The X-Men In The Fantastic Four Reboot". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  27. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 21, 2014). "Fantastic Four' Script In, Actors to Test by End of Month". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  28. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 9, 2013). "‘Fantastic Four’: Actors and Actresses Lining Up for Roles". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  29. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 5, 2014). "Fantastic Four' Screen Tests: Emmy Rossum, Kate Mara and Miles Teller in the mix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  30. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 19, 2014). "‘Fantastic Four’ Cast Revealed". Variety. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Toby Kebbell to Play ‘Fantastic Four’ Villain Doctor Doom (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  32. ↑ Sneider, Jeff. "‘Fantastic Four': Dr. Doom Short List Down to 4 Actors With Accents (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  33. ↑ Kit, Borys (April 30, 2014). "Tim Blake Nelson in Final Talks to Join 'The Fantastic Four' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  34. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (May 8, 2014). "Fox's 'Fantastic Four' Reboot Adds 'The Wire's' Reg E. Cathey (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  35. ↑ Scott, Mike (May 5, 2014). "'Fantastic Four' reboot begins filming today in Baton Rouge; here's what we know so far". Times-Picayune. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  36. ↑ Christine (May 5, 2014). "‘Fantastic Four’ begins filming in Louisiana!". onlocationvacations.com. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  37. ↑ Panda, Robo (August 23, 2014). "Fantastic Four Director Josh Trank Tweets a First Look At The Thing". Uproxx. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  38. ↑ Lang, Brent (July 24, 2013). "'Fantastic Four' Reboot Moving Production From Vancouver to Louisana (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  39. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (March 19, 2013). "Otoy's cloud rendering tools to be used in indie games and the Fantastic Four movie". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  40. ↑ "MPC - Fantastic Four". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Weta Digital". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  42. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (May 8, 2014). "Writer/Producer Simon Kinberg Talks THE FANTASTIC FOUR, Post-Converting to 3D, the Grounded Tone, and Writing Towards the Sequels". Collider. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Marco Beltrami to Score 'The Fantastic Four' Reboot". Film Music Reporter. January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  44. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (September 18, 2014). "'X-Men' Spin-Off 'Deadpool' Gets Winter 2016 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Release Date Set for Fantastic Four Reboot". SuperHeroHype.com. December 8, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  46. ↑ Perry, Spencer (November 12, 2013). "Fantastic Four, The Secret Service and Assassin's Creed Get New Release Dates". SuperHeroHype.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  47. ↑ "The Fantastic Four Trailer is Here!". SuperHeroHype.com. January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  48. ↑ McMillan, Graeme (January 27, 2015). "How the New 'Fantastic Four' Trailers Stays Faithful to the Original Comics". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  49. ↑ Riesman, Abraham (January 28, 2015). "The Fantastic Four Movie Seems Really Good!". Vulture.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  50. ↑ Newsarama Staff (January 27, 2015). "The FANTASTIC FOUR Trailer: Our First Reactions". Newsarama. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  51. ↑ Perry, Spencer (April 19, 2015). "The New Trailer for Fantastic Four is Here!". Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  52. ↑ O'Connell, Sean (April 19, 2015). "A New Fantastic Four Trailer Is Online and It's Amazing". Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  53. ↑ McWeeny, Drew (April 19, 2015). "New Fantastic Four trailer gives us our best look yet at the team in action". Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  54. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 23, 2015). "Fantastic Four Footage, Cast Impress Exhibitors at CinemaCon". Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  55. ↑ McNary, David (April 15, 2015). "Fantastic Four: CinemaCon to Honor Cast". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  56. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (March 12, 2015). "FANTASTIC FOUR 2 Fears the Force, Moves Back a Week to June 9, 2017". Collider. Retrieved March 13, 2015.

External links