The initial reaction was that the swift reboot up the arse was a deliberate bid to keep the rights, just as it had been the first time that the Fantastic Four had been held hostage.
Most cinemagoers who saw Tim Story's 2005 film were unaware that it wasn't the first film version of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Marvel creations.
That honour - if honour's the word - goes to 1994 rarity, The Fantastic Four, a low-budget adaptation produced by Roger Corman at the request of Constantin Film, a production company that was about to lose the rights to the comics if a version didn't go into production.
The catch? While the cast thought that this was a bona-fide blockbuster, Constantin had zero plans to release the movie. It was an 'ashcan copy,' comic lingo for a cheap rush-job produced solely to hold onto the copyright.
The gambit worked. Although nobody saw the film, Constantin was able to keep the rights until they were in a position to do Fantastic Four justice. At least, that was the theory.
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Comments
theframe
Aug 10th 2010, 13:20
it's 'V for Vendetta', c'mon guys!!
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daskoyne
Aug 10th 2010, 13:27
V for Vengeance? Really? Tut tut. Good call on Watts and Mikkelson though.
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piffle
Aug 10th 2010, 13:28
Some not bad suggestions there, but lets be fair in saying that the cast you suggest would cost an arm and a leg and no studio would commit to that given the FF's track record on film. I also think that "Unthinkable" is a bit too comic-y. A non-comic reading audience would already have to buy the whole super-hero end of things without dealing with the fact that there's magic in the world. Being honest I wouldn't even use Doom, but rather would use, say Kang the Conqueror, and set the good Doctor up as a villain in a part 2... Nolan was smart enough to realise that you whet the audience's appetite before the main event, and even Guy Ritchie stole a march on it in Sherlock Holmes.
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Andy85
Aug 11th 2010, 22:25
V for Vengeance what the f**k? this is supposed to be a dedicated film site retard
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MagneticEye84
Aug 16th 2010, 1:31
I've been reading MARVEL comics since 1975 and The Fantastic Four is one title that I've really enjoyed over the years but not in it's screen representation. They were very poorly adapted as cheesy comedies with some action attached. The books have always had a strong sense of family and drama along with heavy duty sci-fi action with a little bit of humour. I really must stress that the element of humour should take less precedence and allow for a truly EPIC motion picture which showcases a serious and mature treatment in the drama dept with mind blowing sequences of sci-fi hi tech gadgetry and cutting edge CGI FX. A Fantasic Four film done right, shot on location with an experienced (A list) Director would be totally awesome. But I some how doubt that Fox Studios are able to deliver such a motion picture since their vision is all about disrespecting the ORIGINAL source material rather than giving the fans faithful and accurate cinematic masterpieces.
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HardcoreNinja
Aug 31st 2010, 13:03
You said in the 30 tv actors about Matthew Fox, well I personally think he has the charisma able to do a good human torch, and with the older cast he would suit ages i imagine :)
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aragorn01
Sep 25th 2010, 2:46
What's with all the Hughs, man...? But, seriously...Hugh Laurie as Richards?? i agree that they should've cast an older group of cast from the start, but, not ancient. HOUSE, really..?? Naaa...my pick for the reboot to play mr. fantastic would be, ready for this...? Prison Break's WENTWORTH MILLER. Check out his pic BEFORE his PB days. better yet, go watch The Human Stain, his movie with Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins, before he was on PB. On Watts, well, she's MY choice for Sue for the first (or second) movie. Now, for the reboot, i initially see Mad Men's January Jones for the part of Sue, but since she's already playing Emma Frost, in the upcoming X-Men flick, then I want Die Another Day's ROSAMUND PIKE. She's just PURRFECT for Sue. Ryan Gosling as Johnny? aside from him being TOO SHORT, i'm sure he won't be interested in playing the role..not in a million years. He's THAT type of actor, i think. No, for Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, you'd want someone young, energetic and oozes sex for the ladies in the audience, much like Twilight's Rob and Taylor. My choice goes to Alex Pettyfer. Alex WHO?? He's british, and mostly known as the kid star in Stormbreaker. He's also in a new movie with Vanessa Hudgens, called Beastly. I think he's got the stuff for Johnny. The Thing will be C.G.I., so only the voice remains to be played by a star actor...but, HUGO WEAVING, he'd be better off doing Dr. Doom's voice. Ben shouldn't sound like he's this uppety class with heavy voice, he's from Hell's Kitchen, right? He's a street kinda guy, so far, i can only think of Michael Chiklis returning to the role as the voice and maybe doing what Andy Serkis had done in The Lord of the Rings movies and King Kong. Lastly, they gotta do a more careful treatment on the script, and the right director to juggle all these would be...why not try The Incredibles' BRAD BIRD?? is he exclusively attached to Pixar and Diney? but, hey, since Marvel's been bought by Disney, then i'm sure that can be worked out. i think Bird resurrecting FF would be the most appropriate PAYBACK for this movie franchise from those who benefited from its legacy.
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