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Writing credits
Michael France story
Mark Frost screenplay
Jack Kirby comic book & characters
Stan Lee comic book & characters
Plot Summary for
Fantastic Four (2004)
When an experimental space voyage goes awry, four people are changed by cosmic rays. Reed Richards, inventor and leader of the group gains the ability to stretch his body, and takes the name, Mr. Fantastic. His girlfriend, Sue Storm, gains the ability to turn invisible and create force fields, calling herself the Invisible Woman. Her younger brother Johnny Storm gains the ability to control fire, including covering his own body with flame, becoming the Human Torch. Pilot Ben Grimm is turned into a super-strong rock creature calling himself Thing. Together, they use their unique powers to explore the strange aspects of the world, and to foil the evil plans of Doctor Doom.
That low-res scan gives me a headache, as does the 'cool' font for the title. They need to use the old school font.
Anyway, a Mark Frost screenplay is exciting. I hope they get a good director (I was looking forward to seeing Peyton Reed do it, but oh well) and don't try to ignore the wonderful goofiness of the characters. And John C. Reilly should play Ben Grimm!
never really liked that cartoon... and they havent showed it in years so kids wont even care about this or know what the hell it is...
It was a comic book.
And a cartoon, but the cartoon was negligible. It was the first major Marvel comic back in 1963.
I remember that a Fantastic Four movie was made a while ago and it was so bad that James Cameron bought the rights just so it wouldn't be released (for awhile, he was gonna do FF, but that was back when he was still kind of cool). Has anyone seen this?
Quote from: RegularKarateI remember that a Fantastic Four movie was made a while ago and it was so bad that James Cameron bought the rights just so it wouldn't be released (for awhile, he was gonna do FF, but that was back when he was still kind of cool). Has anyone seen this?
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I've never seen it, but I found some info here (http://www.geocities.com/fan4movie/gallery.html)
Really, really looking forward to the new one. But, you gotta admit the 1992 version looks hilarious.
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Mr. Fantastic is going to be really stupid looking, I've already said this.
Quote from: SlobhMr. Fantastic is going to be really stupid looking, I've already said this.
If the writer and director have a sense of humor, it won't be. If they take a serious tone with the movie, yeah, the whole movie will be fucking stupid.
Creating "Hulk" with a serious tone was the right way to go, but it won't be with this movie. The characters just seem to have great personalities, so it would be pointless to dumb them down for dramatic purposes only.
As a matter of fact, I would have loved to be on the writing team with this movie, even though I'm not a comic book fan. This one could be great.
I have seen the 1992 Fantastic Four Movie. Roger Corman produced it. I've never laughed so hard in my life.
The human torch discovers his powers like this:
He sneezes, catching some grass (or something) on fire.
The last shot of the film is Mr Fantastic sticking a stretched arm out of the sun roof of a limo and waving goodbye to everyone as he and Invisible Woman ride away on their honeymoon. It's the greatest thing I've ever seen.
Quote from: PawbloeQuote from: SlobhMr. Fantastic is going to be really stupid looking, I've already said this.
If the writer and director have a sense of humor, it won't be.
That's why I thought Peyton Reed would have been a good choice.
The Corman version is available on ebay. I've been meaning to buy it forever. I remember back when I was eleven or twelve, they had a big breaking story about it in Wizard magazine, with photos of all the main characters and much hoopla about the special effects and the '1 million dollar budget.'
Fun fact: the guy who played Reed Richards in that movie was the guy who played Henry Jones, Sr. in the opening of The Last Crusade.
Fantastic Four Moved to 2005, Hulk 2 Gets Writer
Source: Marvel Enterprises Tuesday, November 18, 2003
In today's Marvel Analyst Day Webcast, Marvel Studios' Avi Arad announced that the Fantastic Four movie at 20th Century Fox has been moved to the summer of 2005. Marvel and Fox were previously targeting a December, 2004 release date. Marvel also expects the toy line for Fantastic Four to be as big as Spider-Man, with many licensees already very interested in the property.
Arad also said a new writer for The Hulk 2 has just been hired. A TV show based on The Hulk movie may also be coming in the future.
Avi Arad added that X-Men 3 will be coming in 2006.
Quote from: themodernage02Arad also said a new writer for The Hulk 2 has just been hired.
Who wants to put money down that Ang Lee doesn't get the directing job again?
Making a sequel to The Hulk is sort of like making a sequel to Godzilla. They'll talk about it for a long time, but I bet it won't ever happen.
if it does happen, don't expect ang or the main actors to return.
..::hums the theme music to small wonder::
..this is gonna be not a really good film..
please stop mkng film sbased on comic books .....
i feel like i'm trapped in a comic book convention..
....
where's kevin smith.
NEON MERCURY's tip for today:
for aspiring filmakers..if you want to make a film w/ a comic/fantasy vibe to it..Please make a film based on the semi-geeked out magic the gathering card game..you could do it so easily and yet ..employ some "artistic" sense in it also..for example..all you need is a fairly sizable amount of magic cards..Then for the entire film hold a card in front of the camera and do voice o-overs (in a warlock/wizard/gnome sounding tone.)just flash random cards in front of the camera and improvise the story.....and as for a score just crank up a jethro tull cd and zigg out to the flute solos....
Astin directing "Fantastic Four"?
Source: Dark Horizons
Brazilian journalist Rodrigo Salem from SET Magazine, the biggest movie magazine in Brazil, went to New York to work on the LOTR junket and talked a bit to Sean Astin about his upcoming projects. That interview has now finally hit shelves and reveals the former hobbit is keen on helming a certain superhero movie Fox is having difficulty finding a director for. Here's a transcript:
Question: You were highly praised over your short movie The Long and Short of It which is in The Two Towers DVD. Do you have any plans of directing something bigger?
Sean Astin: Oh, yeah! I always wanted to act and direct with the same intensity but only now I've found the way to get to directing. Right now I'm running to be the director of this US$ 100, US$130 million movie which the studio wants to release in the end of 2004 and it has a huge effect in pop culture. I got a meeting scheduled but I can't talk about it yet.
Question: Is it a comic book adaptation?
Sean Astin: You figured it out, huh?
Question: You're running for the director's chair of Fantastic Four, right?
Sean Astin: Yes.
Question: You've got some pretty heavy competition ahead of you. I heard Steven Soderbergh is interested and that he was offered the job by the studio specially because he could bring George Clooney as Reed Richards.
Sean Astin: Yeah but I'm a friend of George Clooney too (laughs). I think he would make a perfect Reed Richards.
Question: And who would be your Human Torch?
Sean Astin: Oh, he's right over there. Orlando Bloom.
A new casting rumor about The Thing!
According to Dark Horizons, Oscar-nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) has met with the producers of the Fantastic Four about playing Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, in the big-screen version of the Marvel comic. The site offered no further details on the alleged meeting.
Duncan is no stranger to Marvel movies, having portrayed Wilson "The Kingpin" Fisk in Daredevil. The gargantuan thesp is also used to acting under a pile of make-up as his turn in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes proved.
Big Mike's other roles include Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, and The Scorpion King.
There is currently no director attached to the Mark Frost-scripted Fantastic Four, although actor-filmmaker Sean Astin recently confirmed that he's in the running to helm it.
Filming on the $100+ million 20th Century Fox-based project will reportedly begin this year in Vancouver. Fantastic Four is said to have a July 1, 2005 release date, which would have put it into direct competition with Indiana Jones IV. But with Indy IV now indefinitely postponed due to script rewrites, Fantastic Four could have that berth all to itself. Unless, of course, it's true that Batman: Intimidation will also open that day.
I read a little blurb awhile ago that Jessica Simpson and her twins coveted a role in Fantastic 4....
Fantastic Four is fine
Marvel producer Avi Arad put to rest several rumors. On the notion that Fantastic Four has been plagued by constant battles between hopeful directors from Steven Soderbergh to Sean Astin, Arad confirmed he has decided on a director. He just wouldn’t say whom.
“We have a director,” Arad said. “I cannot tell you who he is until Tuesday.”
As for why previous directors like Peyton Reed dropped out, Arad said, “It wasn’t difficult to keep a director. Sometimes directors look at a project and get off another project, they want to go home for a little bit of time. Listen, the toughest thing is to write the script, mental, mental toughness. But then a director comes on board and it’s a very physical challenge. It’s a year and a half of your life. If your family calls, it’s annoying. You don’t want them to call, yet you miss them. Two o’clock in the morning in the rain somewhere, it’s physically [demanding]. No director finishes a movie, young ones in great shape, that don’t end up exhausted, sometimes in the hospital, because it’s physically very tough to do. So sometimes you look at the size of a movie and what it would take to do it and you say, ‘I don't know if I want to go there because if I screw this one up, I’m going to movie jail. Or if I take this job, I’m going to give up a lot of [time with] family and friends and health.’ So there are so many ingredients to it. We needed for this movie a director that’s a genius with relationships. It’s a movie about relationships.”
Studio concerns over the high budget required to realize Fantastic Four as a movie were assuaged by the success of previous Marvel films. “Confidence, box office, $500 million X-Men 2. Fantastic Four should be a pretty good business.”
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Who Is Directing Fantastic Four?
Source: IGN FilmForce
Marvel Studios honcho Avi Arad recently advised About.com, "We have a director [for Fantastic Four but] I cannot tell you who he is until Tuesday. ... We needed for this movie a director that's a genius with relationships. It's a movie about relationships."
IGN FilmForce knows who that "genius" is. We've been able to confirm that Barbershop director Tim Story has landed the gig. Story's next release is the English-language remake of Taxi, starring Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon.
He's also attached to direct the Chris Rock vehicle Sick Day for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
We were also advised that filming begins in August. Location scouting is underway. Look for casting to begin soon.
Story's hiring may be another indication that Fox and Marvel are intent on making Fantastic Four a comedy. Previous directors attached to the project were Raja Gosnell (Scooby Doo) and Peyton Reed (Down with Love). Actor-filmmaker Sean Astin has also pursued the directing gig.
From Howard the Duck to Fantastic Four?
The latest casting buzz on the Marvel movie.
Latino Review claims that two award-winning thesps are in talks to join the Fantastic Four's big-screen debut, which has been revealed Tim Story will direct.
Oscar-winner Tim Robbins is said to be up for the role of the villainous Dr. Doom. This wouldn't be Robbins' first time appearing in a Marvel Comics movie: he also co-starred in Howard the Duck.
Emmy-winner Michael Chiklis (FX's The Shield) is reportedly the frontrunner to play Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing.
Is Paul Walker Flaming?
From 2F2F to FF?
Latino Review continues unabated in their Fantastic Four casting scoops. Today they report, via the same source that tipped them off about Michael Chiklis being up for the role of Ben Grimm and Tim Robbins for Dr. Doom, that The Fast and the Furious' Paul Walker is in the running to play Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch.
Walker is an oft-suggested fan pick for the role of Marvel's favorite blond hothead. His credits include 2F2F, The Skulls, Varsity Blues and Timeline.
Latino Review's scoop comes on the heels of Coming Attractions at Cinescape's claim that Christina Milian (Torque) is a contender to portray Johnny's sister Susan Storm, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman.
Superhero Hype also heard that Euro thesp Ralf Moeller (Gladiator, TV's Conan) was up for an unspecified part in the flick.
Fantastic Four begins filming this summer under the direction of Tim Story from a screenplay by Mark Frost.
I'm still bummed that Peyton Reed is no longer attached to this. :(
Quote from: MacGuffinIs Paul Walker Flaming?
:lol:
EXCLUSIVE: Who Might Be Mr. Fantastic?
IGN FilmForce has learned who is in the running to star in Fantastic Four as Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic: Brendan Fraser. Sources close to the studio confirmed that the 35-year-old thesp is a contender for the lead role but emphasized that no official casting has taken place.
According to the industry trades, Fraser, an oft-mentioned contender for Superman, has no other film projects lined up for this summer. That makes him available for Fantastic Four, which begins filming this August in Vancouver. Tim Story will direct from a script by Mark Frost.
Whether or not Fraser is cast as Mr. Fantastic remains to be seen but The Mummy star is definitely a major contender.
Quote from: MacGuffinEXCLUSIVE: Who Might Be Mr. Fantastic?
IGN FilmForce has learned who is in the running to star in Fantastic Four as Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic: Brendan Fraser
:? I'm not too fond of Fraser.
Funny to read this page, more Mac-news and rumors than discussion.
20th Century Fox Has 3 of the 4 Fantastic Four
Source: Variety Thursday, July 8, 2004
20th Century Fox has cast Michael Chiklis (TV's The Shield) to play Ben Grimm/The Thing, Ioan Gruffudd (King Arthur) as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic and Chris Evans (Not Another Teen Movie) as Johnny Storm/the Human Torch in its Fantastic Four adaptation.
Variety also says that Jessica Alba, currently shooting Dimension's Sin City, has emerged as most likely to play Sue Richards/the Invisible Woman, though Rachel MacAdams and Keri Russell are also candidates.
"We see 'Fantastic Four' as the last great jewel in the comicbook crown," said Fox production president Hutch Parker. "The casting has been extremely important in terms of fulfilling expectations of an audience that's been incredibly loyal to these characters for over 40 years."
The $85 million-$90 million adaptation of the Marvel comic is headed for an August or September start in Vancouver. The planned release date is July 1, 2005, when it will face off against Paramount's Mission: Impossible 3. Tim Story is directing from a script by Simon Kinberg.
Whole bunch of shitty shit
From the Director of Barbershop and Taxi comes a movie soooooo bad, you'll wish you were watching Barbershop or Taxi.
at least they didnt cast Fraser
At least Fraser's proven himself to be a good actor a couple of times.
I never thought that Fraser not being in this would be a bad thing.
he was good in The Quiet American and Gods and Monsters, but i'd say that's it.
Jessica Alba Confirmed for Fantastic Four
Source: The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Jessica Alba has been cast as the Susan Storm (aka Invisible Girl) for 20th Century Fox's upcoming Marvel Comics adaptation Fantastic Four, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Alba, who also stars in the upcoming Sin City and Into the Blue, is said to have beat out stiff competition for the role that included Rachel McAdams and Elizabeth Banks.
She joins cast members Michael Chiklis (Benjamin Grimm/The Thing), Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), and Chris Evans (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch). The four develop superpowers when their spaceship is exposed to cosmic radiation.
Tim Story is set to direct from a script by Simon Kinberg.
Quote from: themodernage02Jessica Alba Confirmed for Fantastic Four
Source: The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Jessica Alba has been cast as the Susan Storm (aka Invisible Girl) for 20th Century Fox's upcoming Marvel Comics adaptation Fantastic Four, says The Hollywood Reporter.
I hope she doesn't go invisible much during the movie.
Here here!
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Jessica Alba in gear.
Director Tim Story: "Part of the appeal of the Fantastic Four is they don't use secret identities or wear masks," he explains. "They walk amongst New Yorkers who accept them and go to the grocery store to buy milk, just regular people dealing with life who happen to have extraordinary abilities. They don't always like each other, but they do love each other."
Pwaybloe's Komment Korner: If the director holds true, this is the key to success.
I don't have much hope for this movie, but The Thing looks (http://superherohype.com/nextraimages/fffirstthing2.jpg) about as good as The Thing could look.
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Trailer here. (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/fantastic_four/)
I was on my way here to post that... Mac, you're like a tyranosaurus rex that just ate a meth lab.
That movie looks really horrible, but I have to admit, it looks better than I thought it would.
And the Thing looks really really really REALLY bad.
Wow...that looks about as bad as I expected. In other words, as bad as one might expect a superhero from the director of Taxi might look. Although I still think The Thing is probably about as good as could be physically executed with makeup.
Does anyone else just think the whole concept of the Fantastic Four is mostly pointless in a modern setting? Moreso than X-Men or Spidey, they have a distinctly retro vibe that just seems dorky in this new, 'cool' format. If this had been a period piece set in a stylized 60s, it would have rocked.
4 Ever?
I wish the Bring It On dude got to direct this. I think he definitely coulda brought that vibe that Ghostboy mentions (hell, he directed Down With Love, no?)
I got my hands on a bootleg copy of the old F4 film that was never relesed. My god was that movie terrible. I was laughing from begining to end. I have a feeling that this new F4 film will be no better.
My script was declined.
Fuck this movie.
That's probably a better story than the movie. Details.
Oh, Come onnnnn......"You know that looked cool"....Ya, but I agree this has the potential to be extremely terrible.
did I see some glimpses of xxxtreme sports in there? I saw extreme sports.
So, I finally got around to this.
What a fucking turd. Tim Story?
No black people in the leading roles for this movie. He won't have a chance to turn them all into walking sterotypes like with Taxi and Barbershop. Lame!
I don't think barbershop was too stereotypical.
'Fantastic Four' Exits July 4 Box Office Derby
So much for 20th Century Fox's Fourth of July-themed launch for "Fantastic Four," its big summer superhero movie.
The studio said Monday it would now open the movie Friday, July 8, a week later than scheduled, ending a looming face-off with director Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise , which is set to open Wednesday, June 29.
"We are not running from 'War of the Worlds,"' Fox president of distribution Bruce Snyder said. "This (new) date just works better for us."
Fox's adaptation of the Marvel superheroes title, starring Michael Chiklis and directed by Tim Story, will now go up against Sony Pictures' film adaptation of the popular '60s TV show "Bewitched," with a cast headed by Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell .
With the two high-profile sci-fi movies sharing the same opening weekend, fireworks had been expected to erupt over the Fourth of July holiday. Fox had been first to plant its banner on that ground, staking a claim in late 2003. But then Paramount began eyeing the same territory and said in September that it would open "War" two days before "Fantastic Four."
Initially, Fox appeared to stand its ground. On Jan. 14, the distributor began running trailers for "Fantastic Four" tied to the release of its superhero film "Elektra." Marketing materials made specific use of the July 4 date, with the "Fantastic Four" trailer declaring, "On July Fourth . . . 4th . . . 5 people will be changed . . . forever . . . 4-ever."
Paramount began running a teaser trailer for "War" during the Christmas season. On Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast, it unveiled a 30-second commercial for the film, containing the first footage seen of Cruise in character.
Fox isn't abandoning July 1 altogether -- instead it is moving "Roll Bounce," starring rapper Bow Wow, onto that date in a bit of counterprograming.
Separately, Sony is making a change in its own summer lineup, shifting the comedy remake "Fun With Dick and Jane," starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni, to Dec. 21 from June 25.
"We were rushing to make the June 24 date," Sony vice chairman Jeff Blake said. "We felt our next best stop is the Christmas holiday, given how well broad comedies have performed recently over that period."
Most recently, the Dec. 22 release "Meet the Fockers" collected $70.5 million during its first five days, on the way to a $265.3 million (and counting) domestic gross.
On its new date, "Dick and Jane" will now go head-to-head with Universal's "The Producers" and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Rumor Has It," the Jennifer Aniston film that takes its inspiration from "The Graduate"
they saw the new trailer.
Quote"We are not running from 'War of the Worlds,"' Fox president of distribution Bruce Snyder said. "This (new) date just works better for us."
HAHA for some reason that made me laugh.
jessica alba as the invisible girl? you know the movie will suck when it manages to make its hottest cast member invisible.
Quote from: petejessica alba as the invisible girl? you know the movie will suck when it manages to make its hottest cast member invisible.
Much like covering Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in ugly blue makeup?
Quote from: RaviQuote from: petejessica alba as the invisible girl? you know the movie will suck when it manages to make its hottest cast member invisible.
Much like covering Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in ugly blue makeup?
or Michelle Phiffer in the really tight leather suit as Catwoman.
Quote from: RaviQuote from: petejessica alba as the invisible girl? you know the movie will suck when it manages to make its hottest cast member invisible.
Much like covering Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in ugly blue makeup?
no, because she's still visible.
kinda related: remember rebecca romijn as the bearded lady in dirty work?
does anyone actually care about this movie? I mean I was kind of looking forward to it, then I heard my nemesis , Chickliss, wa sin it, and thyen I heard they had to re-do some effects b/c The Incredibles was putting Fantastic 4 to shame. So yeah now, I couldn't care less.
Fantastic New Trailer
The official film site and Apple have posted the new Fantastic Four trailer that debuted at ShoWest.
Trailer here. (http://movies.apple.com/movies/fox/fantastic_four/fantastic_4-f4_320.mov)
Bah, what a shit trailer. The pacing on that was strange. The first trailer/teaser was much much better.
Wow. I think this trailer holds the record for most PUNS used in a 2 minute period.
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New Trailer here. (http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1361961&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300)
I can't wait 'til three sequels later when it'll be fantastic 4 4.
Fantastic Four's long trip
Comedy thriller? Action flick? The Marvel Comics story has taken more forms than its superheroes.
Source: Los Angeles Times
In issue No. 1 of the Fantastic Four comic book, four astronauts are bombarded by mysterious cosmic rays. In a few short pages, they become superheroes, each a specialist of sorts: a human fireball, a super-elastic genius, an invisible woman and an indestructible rock creature prone to exclaiming, "It's clobberin' time!"
While that transformation was relatively painless, turning Fantastic Four into a movie has proven to be a herculean undertaking.
On its way to the big screen, Marvel Comics' much-loved franchise lingered in developmental purgatory and took on more incarnations than David Bowie in the 1970s. Over the course of 11 years, many of Hollywood's most comic-literate storytellers have been hired and fired, to say nothing of the studio headbanging and tens of millions of dollars in preproduction funds that have been poured into the project, which finally lands in theaters this Friday.
With the movie envisioned variously as a "Charlie's Angels"-style comedy thriller, a meta-narrative examination of celebrity à la the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and a no-nonsense action flick, no fewer than 12 screenwriters toiled on the "Fantastic Four" script and at least five directors came and went. Indie maverick Roger Corman even produced a low-budget version in 1994, which was summarily shelved by Marvel and 20th Century Fox, the film's distributor.
Even after Marvel and Fox settled on an approach and a filmmaker, the project was not without its bumps. In late 2003, when Fox pinned down a June 29, 2005 release date — prime summer real estate reserved for surefire hits like "War of the Worlds" — it was hustled into production. Tim Story, the director of "Barbershop" (and the critical and commercial disappointment "Taxi"), was hired by Marvel and Fox to direct "Fantastic Four" amid criticism by hard-core fans on the Internet that he was under-qualified to handle a big-budget, effects-driven popcorn movie.
The comic book thriller marks a key test for the wayward performance of Marvel characters, whose popularity has swung widely from smashes like "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" to several recent also-rans, such as "Elektra" and "Blade: Trinity."
Avi Arad, Marvel's chief executive, is looking to "Fantastic Four" to steady the course.
"The pressure on us is, you expect this kind of movie to deliver -- to cut the 100 [million dollars]," he said, citing a domestic gross that few Marvel films have come close to and none has surpassed since last year's "Spider-Man 2."
And in a dismal box-office year in which ticket sales have slumped into their 19th consecutive week (compared to last year by this time), some in the industry wonder whether "Fantastic Four" can possibly maintain the fairly positive momentum established by last week's Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise drama, "War of the Worlds."
Atypical superheroes
When F4 was first conceived in 1961, movie heroes tended to be strong silent types like John Wayne and Steve McQueen. Marvel's Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created the Four, breaking many of the time-honored superhero rules. Unlike Superman and Batman, for instance, they didn't always get along or protect their secret identities.
The comic has gone on to become Marvel's longest-running series, with action coalescing around the heroes as a dysfunctional family unit barely at ease with one another and their unique powers.
In the early 1990s, Marvel was in bad financial shape and sold the Fantastic Four's movie rights to German producer Bernd Eichinger ("Resident Evil: Apocalypse"), who was putting together a deal for a $30-million live-action version. But in 1993, with his option nearly expired, Eichinger approached Corman, a veteran low-budget moviemaker ("Death Race 2000," "Carnosaur") who owned his own production and distribution company, offering Corman $1 million to shoot a quickie version based on a script by Craig J. Nevius and Kevin Rock. Time — not execution — was of the essence.
"He explained his option was due to expire unless we started principal photography on Dec. 31 of that year," Corman said. The crew promptly canceled their holiday vacations, and production commenced Dec. 28
Directed by Oley Sassone ("Bloodfist III"), with a C-list cast including Alex Hyde-White and Rebecca Staab, Corman's 1994 "Fantastic Four" relies on lo-fi production values such as stock space travel footage and bits of unintentionally hilarious dialogue. In one scene, the Four's leader, Reed Richards, invites Sue and Johnny Storm (the future Invisible Girl and Human Torch) to travel into space with him — even though they are not astronauts. Mother Storm's advice: "You just be sure to have them back at a reasonable hour."
Upon completion in early 1994, Eichinger exercised an option to buy Corman's interest in the film. Eichinger then sold the "Fantastic Four" property to Fox. The Corman/Sassone film was never distributed. Corman says copies for sale in the Internet are unauthorized
"It's the strangest deal I ever made in my life", Corman said, "the most profitable film I ever made that did not get released."
Change of direction
In 1995, Marvel again tried to adapt the Fantastic Four. Writer-director Chris Columbus of "Home Alone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" fame was enlisted to adapt it. He brought his own team of writers, which included Sam Hamm ("Monkeybone"), Philip Morton ("Fire Down Below") and Michael France ("The Punisher," "Hulk"), and Columbus spent two years working on the project before leaving the director's seat; he worried in the press that the movie's budget might reach $280 million.
Columbus took a producing role while Peter Segal ("The Longest Yard") was considered as an alternative director. Ultimately, Raja Gosnell, the director of "Big Momma's House," took over in 2000 and set about adapting the material with yet another team of writers. Gosnell, however, outraged Fantastic Four fans by announcing plans to adapt the comic as a "sitcom." And although the comic publisher had initially supported Gosnell's comedic take — and Marvel's Arad trumpeted the director's plans in the press — he and Marvel soon parted ways.
"I called it a 'comedy-adventure,' " Arad said. "The Fantastic Four are funny because the way they use their powers is quite whimsical." Gosnell did not respond to calls seeking comment.
After Gosnell, "A Knight's Tale" director Brian Helgeland was among the considered replacements. But in 2001, Peyton Reed, director of the cheerleading hit "Bring It On," signed on. He began working on a script first with Tristan Patterson and later, Doug Petrie, writer for TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
But capturing the right mix of action, humor and pathos for the characters that creator Lee described as "heroes with hang-ups," continued to defy filmmakers. Internet chat rooms again lit up with the news the Reed-Petrie collaboration would recast "Fantastic Four" as a meta-narrative examination of the heroes' fame as in the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night." In a 2002 interview with MTV, Petrie elaborated on his conception of the Fantastic Four as "the biggest celebrities in New York City." Plot points included scenes of the superheroes ordering pizza and fighting about which of them had the best costume.
"There was an iteration that took the approach of a reality show," Arad said. "A camera inside the Baxter Building" — the Fantastic Four's headquarters — "and the whole world could see what they're doing all the time."
Reed left the project in 2003, citing "creative differences."
Superhero screenplay specialists Dan Harris and Mike Dougherty ("X-Men," "Superman Returns") and Zak Penn ("Elektra," "The Punisher") were hired to polish the script. But the final version began to take shape when France returned to the project. The writer concentrated on the screenplay's tone and Mark Frost, the co-creator and writer of "Twin Peaks," was hired to shift the action back to the Four's dysfunctional family origins.
"I had read the other drafts — Mark's draft had more of the Fantastic Four as public heroes and celebrities. I toned that down," said Simon Kinberg, writer of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," who was hired after Frost to do final uncredited rewrites during production on "Fantastic Four." "I wanted to make it an origin story of superheroes who didn't accept themselves as superheroes until the final sequence of the film."
He added that he didn't find it unusual that the project had employed so many screenwriters. "These superhero movies that are long in development — you end up with a lot of writers. If you count all the writers on [Bryan Singer's upcoming] 'Superman' movie, you probably have 15 to 20 A-list writers."
Heartened by the screenplay's progress, in late 2003, Fox gave the film a June 29, 2005 release date. And Marvel Studios had to scramble to find a director.
'Can I do this'
Music video ace Tim Story hadn't finished his second feature, "Taxi," when Arad began courting him for the "Fantastic Four" job. Exhausted after an arduous shoot and with his wife six months pregnant, Story wasn't sure he was up to handling a potentially gigantic franchise.
"I knew it had gotten up and gone down, that it had gone through Chris Columbus and Raja Gosnell and Peyton Reed," Story, 35, said. "When I was getting in on it, they had a date. It was a matter of, 'We're finding a director and we're going.' It was never a question of if we're going to make it. It was a question of: Can I do this?"
To hear Arad tell it, however, Marvel and Fox were sure they had their man — even if Story's résumé didn't seem like a perfect fit for an effects-driven action film and the increasingly restless fan community was opposed to him. The plan was to surround Story with many of the same experts Marvel employed for Singer's "X-Men" films and let the director concentrate his attention on working with primary cast members Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, Julian McMahon and Chris Evans.
With so many generations of Fantastic Four material at his disposal, Story says he plundered the older scripts.
"I read quite a few of them," he said. "You try and take the greatest hits. We would just take the older scripts and try to find the best of and see if there was anything we wanted to keep."
Although Arad expressed confidence in the movie that Story gave them, after Marvel's "The Punisher" was trounced on its opening weekend by "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," Marvel and Fox pushed "Fantastic Four's" release date back to July 8 so as not to compete with "War of the Worlds' " June 29 release.
"One thing we learned from 'The Punisher' " Arad said. "Don't force it. If you take this deadly combination of Spielberg and Cruise, you have to show respect. You take the following weekend. It's too much riding on it."
In the final days leading up to "Fantastic Four's" big-screen debut, Story admitted that he felt a personal responsibility to help reverse Marvel's box-office slide.
"You look at 'Elektra' and then you look at 'The Punisher' and think, 'Well, if this one doesn't do so well, then hmmm,' " he said. "I must admit that the pressure came in the last couple of months where I go, 'Whoa!'"
I think I'll pass on this movie and wait until it's on TBS in 2 years.
Is anyone going to see it this weekend? I might catch Dark Water instead.
Quote from: Myxomatosis
Is anyone going to see it this weekend? I might catch Dark Water instead.
If these are the choices, I'm going to catch NOTHING instead.
I'm glad I got to see this for free, because it's about ten times worse than everyone was predicting. The worst possible writing and acting you can imagine in perfect combination. I felt like I was watching TV.
Also, not much happens in this movie, especially toward the latter third, where you'd expect them to actually do something significant with their powers. It feels like the screenwriter realized that the movie wasn't working and just stopped writing.
But the most alarming thing about the movie was the makeup toward the beginning. That stuff was caked on.
Quote from: PwaybloeQuote from: RegularKarateI remember that a Fantastic Four movie was made a while ago and it was so bad that James Cameron bought the rights just so it wouldn't be released (for awhile, he was gonna do FF, but that was back when he was still kind of cool). Has anyone seen this?
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I've never seen it, but I found some info here (http://www.geocities.com/fan4movie/gallery.html)
Really, really looking forward to the new one. But, you gotta admit the 1992 version looks hilarious.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geocities.com%2Ffan4movie%2Fmag-cover.jpg&hash=228ac95a507ecfd30301d9b9535c9d42f0ba1d3b)
naw this movie was a deliberate tax write off for the studio and they didn't tell any of the cast or crew. basically they fucked these people over. it was never intended to be released.
-sl-
Quote from: socketlevelQuote from: PwaybloeQuote from: RegularKarateI remember that a Fantastic Four movie was made a while ago and it was so bad that James Cameron bought the rights just so it wouldn't be released (for awhile, he was gonna do FF, but that was back when he was still kind of cool). Has anyone seen this?
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I've never seen it, but I found some info here (http://www.geocities.com/fan4movie/gallery.html)
Really, really looking forward to the new one. But, you gotta admit the 1992 version looks hilarious.
naw this movie was a deliberate tax write off for the studio and they didn't tell any of the cast or crew. basically they fucked these people over. it was never intended to be released.
-sl-
That big ass article I posted explains it.
Has anyone actually seen this?
Quote from: MacGuffinQuote from: socketlevelQuote from: PwaybloeQuote from: RegularKarateI remember that a Fantastic Four movie was made a while ago and it was so bad that James Cameron bought the rights just so it wouldn't be released (for awhile, he was gonna do FF, but that was back when he was still kind of cool). Has anyone seen this?
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I've never seen it, but I found some info here (http://www.geocities.com/fan4movie/gallery.html)
Really, really looking forward to the new one. But, you gotta admit the 1992 version looks hilarious.
naw this movie was a deliberate tax write off for the studio and they didn't tell any of the cast or crew. basically they fucked these people over. it was never intended to be released.
-sl-
That big ass article I posted explains it.
that's a white wash. i don't question your honesty mac, i just think your sources are covering it up. i talked to a guy at last year's toronto international film fest who worked on it.
-sl-
Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanHas anyone actually seen this?
Just you....
SUCKA!
Oh wait - you were talking about the 92 version, weren't you?
It's all over eBay. I've been meaning to get it for ages, but just...haven't yet.
FUN FACT: The guy that plays Reed Richards also played the young Sean Connery in
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.And the story Mac posted did whitewash it completely. Fox was never the distributor of Corman's film. I don't know what ultimately lead to it being shelved, but the only reason Corman made it was because the company that produced it were about to lose the rights. That, and maybe those tax credit rumors, which certainly sound credible.
it has also been long available at every comic convention for the past 10 years in bootleg form. but i never did get around to seeing the whole thing etiher.
i like this:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ffplaza.com%2Fmuseum%2Fart%2FMovieStill01.gif&hash=05392c20707ce65e9766194589b2b689352d0417)
I saw it about three years ago.
I remember Jonny Storm discovering his powers by sneezing.
Won't give anymore away, but it's probably more entertaining than the new one. In the same way Billy Blanks movies are more entertaining than Rob Coen films.
Quote from: GhostboyOh wait - you were talking about the 92 version, weren't you?
No, no... I was in fact talking about the 2005 version.
Quote from: GhostboyJust you....SUCKA!
I wasted a few hours of my life, true, but not any money. A friend of mine who is a manager at a local Mann theater once in a while invites me to secret midnight premiers. (See my earlyish reviews of Dodgeball and others.) Which means I can post my reaction to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory around 3 AM Friday.
Why do I sound like mutinyco?
You don't. But I already beat you to the Chocolate Factory review.
I bought the Corman version off Ebay a couple of days ago. Our Film Society is going to screen it in two weeks for fun. I think I bought it for 6.95 total. I'll let you guys know if the cheese factor is worth the watch.
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on July 11, 2005, 11:51:13 PM
Has anyone actually seen this?
Alright, so I probably didn't find it as bad as you did. But I will give you that not much happens. It had the makings for a better exploration of the characters learning and dealing with their powers (like the wife leaving The Thing), but it wasn't all there. It would have worked better if the film would have taken the characters more seriously, but no, we get Torch playing the sleep-scratch trick to The Thing so he'll rub shaving cream in his face.
The worst scene was the blind woman telling The Thing about being different. :yabbse-rolleyes:
Quote from: Pwaybloe on November 14, 2003, 02:45:48 PM
Really, really looking forward to the new one. But, you gotta admit the 1992 1994 version looks hilarious.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geocities.com%2Ffan4movie%2Fmag-cover.jpg&hash=228ac95a507ecfd30301d9b9535c9d42f0ba1d3b)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7mdpSsqNsM
so far the theme music reminds me of Jurassic Park a lot.