A few summers ago Fox tried once again to reboot Fantastic Four, but it didn’t go very well for the studio. Prior to the film’s release date horror stories started surfacing online claiming director Josh Trank was at odds with Fox over the direction of the film, and fans feared the worst.
When the film was finally released it tanked at the box office, and it was bashed by fans and critics alike. The response was pretty unfortunate for the cast who hoped the movie would launch a franchise, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Jamie Bell starred in the reboot as The Thing, and he seemed thrilled to take on the role at the time. During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bell noted that the cast and crew started with the best of intentions, but something went wrong between the voyage and the arrival.
“There were several things on that movie I was clearly not privy to because I’m just an actor and I just do my stuff on set. But with something like that, everything starts with the best of intentions. A production begins with the idea to make something that’s unique and original and with integrity. I think the film really strived towards those goals. I don’t know what happened between the launch of the voyage and the arrival. I think we were all bitterly disappointed with that film. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
The future of the Fantastic Four on the big screen remains unknown at this point. Fox originally had plans to release a sequel to the reboot, but those plans have been scrapped.
Many fans want to see the rights revert back to Marvel, or at the very least see the Fantastic Four shared between Fox and Marvel Studios similar to how Spider-Man is shared between Sony and Marvel.
However, it’s unlikely as Fox doesn’t really have much reason to share at this point, and it seems inevitable that they will try once again to get Fantastic Four right.
Plans for another film have yet to be announced, but it’s been rumored that the next FF reboot will be going in a much more kid friendly direction.
Transported to an alternate universe, four young outsiders gain superhuman powers as they alter their physical form in shocking ways. Reed Richards becomes Mr. Fantastic, able to stretch and twist his body at will, while pal Ben Grimm gains immense strength as the Thing. Johnny Storm becomes the Human Torch, able to control and project fire, while his sister Sue becomes the Invisible Woman. Together, the team must harness their new abilities to prevent Doctor Doom from destroying the Earth.
