Fantastic Four getting the boot...Reboot that is

[KCJ506]

Monday, 09 March 2009

IESB's has heard word around town is Fantastic Four over at 20th Century Fox is gearing up for a reboot.

With Daredevil already getting the once over and Planet of the Apes also in the running for a new start with a prequel in the works Fantastic Four is joining the reboot gang.

The two films previously released never really caught on with the fans and the studio is reportedly looking to completely retool, recast and recrew the franchise. This means no Tim Story, no Iaon, no Julian (thank the maker, he never sat well with me as Dr. Doom), no Chris, no Chiklis and no Jessica.

The first Fantastic Four in 2005 pulled in over $330 million worldwide and the second film, Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer, opened in 2007 with a total box office take of $290 million. Both made money and were commercial successes but the reviews were lackluster and the fan reaction was mediocre.

The franchise is looking to be "less bubble gum" this time round following the Iron Man template, which was a complete success in reviews and box office take but a bit darker when it came to its superhero. Iron Man was in no way as dark as The Dark Knight but was funny, action-y as well as a bit on the serious side.

Now who do you want as Mr. Fantastic this time out? Which director would be the best choice to bring this story to the screen once again?

Stay tuned to the IESB for further updates!

I would be excited for this............if Fox weren't still involved.

[ilovemovies]

Ugh.

I don't care what anyone says, I really enjoyed the Fantastic Four movies. Especially Michael Chickliss and Chris Evans. And Jessica Alba and Ioan Gruffudd are perfectly okay too.

And I HATE the fact that they are rebooting Daredevil since I fucking loved Daredevil.


You know what is a comic book movie in need of a reboot? Ghost Rider. A Ghost Rider could kick all kinds of ass. Just don't make it a cheesefest like the Nic Cage movie was.

Also, ignore Punisher: Warzone and instead make a sequel with Thomas Jane back as Frank Castle.

[KCJ506]

The original films were okay. They were not terrible in any way, but they weren't great either.

It does suck that Chiklis and Evans won't be back. Those were the two best ones. Chiklis was perfect for the Thing.

I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no way McMahon could be considered good. I could maybe, maybe, see how someone could see Grufford as good, McMahon? No.

[Silverload]

Meh. The first two films were horrible, but a reboot is just too soon. Give it a good decade so that the previous films can fade completely away. Doing a reboot now will just confuse most of the audience. Hell, even Batman Begins had many people confused as to what it was.

Also, Daredevil doesn't need a reboot. The first one was good enough. Give it a sequel. Even if it has a different cast, a sequel would be a much better idea.

[God of War]

Why not continue this current franchise and make another film which is totally kickass? A third movie could be good if handled correctly. I enjoyed the first, but didn't care for the second much. Reboot is a term too often used these days. Next thing you know, they'll be making "Reboot" the movie :D

[KCJ506]

Why not continue this current franchise and make another film which is totally kickass? A third movie could be good if handled correctly. I enjoyed the first, but didn't care for the second much. Reboot is a term too often used these days. Next thing you know, they'll be making "Reboot" the movie :D


Reboot kicked ass.

[Tweek]

And I HATE the fact that they are rebooting Daredevil since I fucking loved Daredevil.



I liked it well enough. But I hope for the reboot to be something more in the spirit of the good days of the comic.

[Conz]

The original films were okay. They were not terrible in any way, but they weren't great either.

It does suck that Chiklis and Evans won't be back. Those were the two best ones. Chiklis was perfect for the Thing.

I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no way McMahon could be considered good. I could maybe, maybe, see how someone could see Grufford as good, McMahon? No.

these movies are fun, but so flawed. Started right off the bad getting Tim Story to direct. Christian Troy is the man, but Dr. Doom was a disaster and i dont think it had much to do with Julian McMahon, the character itself sucked. I hated Reed Richards, he looked the part, but that guy sucks. As you said, and i agree Evans and Richards were great.

[adamjohnson]

Chris Evans is the best possible Human Torch - I dont see how the can recast HIM.

[BlownCamaro]

Ehh I watched the first one and it made me not want to watch a second one. A reboot can not be much worse than the one I did see. Then again I never did like the FF much growing up when I read comics so if it gets a good cast I might check it out, if not I will probably never see it.

[JoeChar4321]

Ugh.

I don't care what anyone says, I really enjoyed the Fantastic Four movies. Especially Michael Chickliss and Chris Evans. And Jessica Alba and Ioan Gruffudd are perfectly okay too.

And I HATE the fact that they are rebooting Daredevil since I fucking loved Daredevil.


You know what is a comic book movie in need of a reboot? Ghost Rider. A Ghost Rider could kick all kinds of ass. Just don't make it a cheesefest like the Nic Cage movie was.

Also, ignore Punisher: Warzone and instead make a sequel with Thomas Jane back as Frank Castle.

^I applaud ALL those thoughts^!

Chiklis and Evans were perfect casting. (The FF's were fun but should've been so much more. Poor plots and limited action/poor use of budget funds really hampered what should be a great franchise) "Less bubble gum" and more drama/action is just what they need.

The Daredevil Director's Cut is still one of the best comic adaptations of all-time.

Ghost Rider had a great cast, cool CGI and an interesting concept. How they totally blew it with a HORID script is inexcusable.

Personally, I do ignore Punisher War Zone. That never happened, period.

[Trooper3]

Chris Evans was a good Flame... I don't think they need new actors.. they just need a good writer etc.

[Badbird]

This is a stupid idea. The first two movies were really big hits. This makes no sense.

Unless this is just Marvel trying to reclaim their crap, like they did with Hulk.

I liked the FF movies as is. Not every comic book movie needs to be as dark and gritty as Batman.

[MidnightAngel]

Fuck the Fantastic Four reboot! How about a reboot of Spawn!

[DarthWade]

Jesus Christ a reboot already?

We're going to be feeling the effects of TDK and Iron Man for a few years (which can be a good thing). It's too bad it took studios so long to realize a superhero movie doesn't have to be "just some kid's show".

I can't stand the FF, so I don't care either way really.

[adamjohnson]

FF2 was AWFUL. Just awful. A mockery of one of the greatest villains (Dr. Doom) , a mockery of one of the greatest heroes (Surfer) and a mockery AGAIN of one of the greatest villains (Galactus).

Jessica Alba sucks.
I still dont know who plays Mr. Fantastic.
And Julian McMahon is a much worse actor than I thought.

They want to make the franchise more serious and they dont think they can do that with the current cast and crew.

[razgriz21]

No more Fanstastic Four please.

However, I did like Michael Chiklis as The Thing.

I would like to see Elizabeth Banks as Susan Storm.

[Dr.Frankenstein]

Unbelievable, I did my rant on JoBlo's front page already...:(

[Hey Man]

Thank God. Fantastic Four should be a $200 million dollar budgeted movie directed by James Cameron or someone of that talent - featuring a real Doctor Doom and possibly Galactus, The Watchers, etc. FF needs to be an epic movie.

[Hey Man]

This is a stupid idea. The first two movies were really big hits. This makes no sense.

Unless this is just Marvel trying to reclaim their crap, like they did with Hulk.

I liked the FF movies as is. Not every comic book movie needs to be as dark and gritty as Batman.

They were shit movies that didn't really capture FF as it should have been. It's not about being dark - it's about making FF the way that it should have been made in the first place and not some comedy action movie with a bad cast.

The Roger Corman FF was actually more in keeping with the comics than what Fox did. Also it's not always about being really big hits. There is really no where for them to go in FF 3 and 4 and so on. Fox realizes that they need to cut their losses with this franchise - start over and make a real movie that will lend itself to a trilogy or more.

[Cop No. 633]

What Tim Story did to Dr. Doom is unforgivable. He ruined a great character. He also chose a wooden team of boring actors for the Fantastic Four. Chiklis was fine, he did what he could with the role, but they gave him the stupidest lines. I hate comedy that is pandering to get a laugh, which is what the films did. They desperately went for the "cute" card and the jokes fell flat on their face.

Jessica Alba needs to be a fully time mommy. She is terrible at acting.

And Daredevil didn't do the character any justice with Affleck smirking the entire time. I'm tired of comic book films ignoring years of storylines that are written much better than the crap the hired screenwriter comes up with who always claims to "be a HUGE fan" but doesn't understand the material.

I'm getting tired of directors trying to recreate a panel from the book, instead of the solid writing or story arcs that are already ripe for a film adaptation.

[Hey Man]

What Tim Story did to Dr. Doom is unforgivable. He ruined a great character. He also chose a wooden team of boring actors for the Fantastic Four. Chiklis was fine, he did what he could with the role, but they gave him the stupidest lines. I hate comedy that is pandering to get a laugh, which is what the films did. They desperately went for the "cute" card and the jokes fell flat on their face.

Jessica Alba needs to be a fully time mommy. She is terrible at acting.

And Daredevil didn't do the character any justice with Affleck smirking the entire time. I'm tired of comic book films ignoring years of storylines that are written much better than the crap the hired screenwriter comes up with who always claims to "be a HUGE fan" but doesn't understand the material.

I'm getting tired of directors trying to recreate a panel from the book, instead of the solid writing or story arcs that are already ripe for a film adaptation.

Thank You.

[LordSimen]

I'm all for this, although I am a bit annoyed at all the "oh shit, a movie from two years ago? Let's restart the franchise!" mentality, there is no more a deserving candidate than the Fantastic Four. Daredevil's not a bad choice either, if only because while the movie wasn't as bad as a lot say (I dug the director's cut, it was decent), I was saddened to see it's future franchise opportunity ruined by an ill conceived Elektra spin off.

[adamjohnson]

Its just a question of, they dont think they can recast and change the tone of the movie and it just be a sequal. They wanted to start a lucritave franchise, and technically they did, but its no longer the direction they want to go.

[venom718]

They really screwed up on Fantastic Four.i mean rise of the silver surfer was better but....still...it wasnt that good.And i hated Alba as Sue...she was too young,mr.Fantastic was ok,but boring at times,Jonny was perfect and so was ben a.k.a. THE THING.Dr doom was kinda bad,his look in Rise was better but they didnt do Doom justice at all. a reboot would be good.It is annoying because the other films are so recent but hey...if they can pull it off then im for it.I hated not seeing galactus in part 2..maybe they could have done a 3rd film and just used galactus and have the surfer return.make them older (that way they can recast afew ppl) but hey...they wanna remake it so...whatever.I love comic book films so ill see it either way.

Ghost rider doesnt need a reboot,just a darker,more violent gothic type sequal made that is more like the comics.Give Cage the real jonny blaze look (the 1 from Con Air is the best fit) and have him kick ass.

If anything needs a reboot its daredevil.It sucked hard.:D

[God of War]

How about a reboot of Spawn!
On that note, wasn't there a planned/proposed sequel to the original film? Anyways, I'm all for a reboot of Spawn. They can do so much more with it than the Michael Jai White version. Meh. lol

[biff_debris]

I think this is cool -- although I haven't seen the second one (did not dare, since I couldn't stand to see the Silver Surfer as an "add-on" to some other movie), the first movie was rather lackluster and dull. Besides, I want Aronofsky to do a Silver Surfer movie. Bad.

[soda]

They were shit movies that didn't really capture FF as it should have been. It's not about being dark - it's about making FF the way that it should have been made in the first place and not some comedy action movie with a bad cast.


I agree completely, 100% with this sentiment. Look, Fox bashing is the thing to do these days, but let me just say it, from what I'm seeing Tom Rothman has no freakin' clue. He wouldn't know a good movie if you served it to him on a silver platter with watercress around it. I don't think Fox sees the value in making them "good", as long as it makes money in the short run. What fox needs to understand is this: The Dark Knight will be making money for WB for the next half a century. Every time some new format comes out, or people have kids that grow up, this movie "classic" will be something that they buy and watch. The golden age of film movies are still making money for the studios that made them, because people are still watching them. FF won't be that kind of long term cash cow. Fox doesn't need to copy what WB did with FF to make a good movie.

It's like the great John Stewart often says about the media: that they're a bunch of five year olds fighting over a little red ball, and every time the ball pops out, they chase it and forget everything else. Well, The Dark Knight is that little red ball. It made so much money, and Iron Man too, that it became the standard. The downside is that now everyone thinks comics are about "dark" and about "anti-hero", which is another gross simplification made by minds who don't know or care about what makes comics great. At least Marvel knows, at least DC knows. Leave the comic book movies to the pros.

[Hack]

I actually liked both films and was hoping to see more of the Silver Surfer in the next. Chris Evans is perfect for the role of the Torch but I do think they can get better people for the other three. And when are we going to see Franklin Richards and the Inhumans?

[The_alpz]

While I am starting to get tired of remakes all the time this could be good. Even though Evans and Chiklis won't be back the FF4 should be a huge force in the world of Comic Book films and it's not. Maybe they can get it right with a whole new team and the right director.

[a7xfan]

Chris Evans is the best possible Human Torch - I dont see how the can recast HIM.

I agree,He's the only salvageable thing from this horseshit franchise. A reboot is far too soon tho.

[Cop No. 633]

I personally don't think time should be a factor. The one rule I have for remakes/reboots is that they shouldn't do them if the original film is a masterpiece of its time/genre. Then it's really just tacky as hell.

But comic books are a medium that are constantly retconned and I think the films could reflect that. Christopher Nolan won't be making Batman films his whole career... say if in 10 years, the need for another Batman film is upon us, I would think another talented director could be capable of making a new Batman film.

Comic book adaptations are unique in that they can be done over and over without the fear of needing the same cast, etc. Of course, everyone will have their favorites, but it's still consistent within the rules of the medium it came from. It's like an artist/writer picking up a series from a previous one and giving it their own touch, but still staying within the same realm of the comic.

[TeeRay]

Just let it be. The FF movies came and went and that's about it. Why bother fixing something when there's no point? Trying to do it with the Hulk didn't exactly excite people.

[Frosty_86]

Ive never been a huge FF4 fan so Im indifferent about it. I didnt like the movies so if they want to try to give it another go I say go ahead but Id rather see Marvel work on another Daredevil movie before another FF4 movie.

[DareDevil]

Wait a couple more years and let Marvel get the rights back and they can release a new FF movie after the Avengers, hell then they can battle the Hulk in a scene and we can all die happy.

[g1ng3rsnap9ed]

Meh. The first two films were horrible, but a reboot is just too soon. Give it a good decade so that the previous films can fade completely away. Doing a reboot now will just confuse most of the audience. Hell, even Batman Begins had many people confused as to what it was.

Also, Daredevil doesn't need a reboot. The first one was good enough. Give it a sequel. Even if it has a different cast, a sequel would be a much better idea.

Awesome Post, I agree with everything said here. I started watching The Silver Surfer and my God it was terrible! I love comic-books and comic movies, but watching that made me realize why some people look down upon them when we get garbage like that churning out!

[Shockwave]

These movies were horrible piles of greasy shit. Its waaaay too soon to revisit the FF franchise after putting in such a poor showing two times in a row.

No one would go for it, and everyone remembers what came before. Let the hurt fade.:(

[KCJ506]

Jessica Alba was a miscast. She looked way too "ethnic" to be convincing as Chris Evans' sister. Plus she was too young to play Sue.

Sue is supposed to be older than Johnny, but both actors are the same age. Hell Alba looks younger than Evans(although she's older by a couple months) but still it was hard for me to see her pulling off being four years older. Not to mention she looked and was too young for Reed.

And it was hard for me to take her being a scientist seriously. Not being mean, but Alba doesn't strike me as an intelligent (scientist) woman, they tried to make her look so by having her wear glasses. Sue Storm is supposed to be smart, but not in the same level as Reed.

Don't get me wrong, I find her very attractive and I think she's a fine actress, but boy was she a total miscast. She didn't exactly fit the mother of the team role that Sue has in the comics.

I would have much rather had Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar or Ali Larter as Sue. At least they're genuinely attractive, have more strength to their presence and are older than Chris Evans.

And I hope they get somebody a LOT better than Tim Story. He said he never wants to make a movie with giant robots in it. Well then he shouldn't have been directing this movie in the first place. This is why Galactus was a cloud.

[bigred760]

The FF movies were just poorly done. Evans and Chiklis were pretty good, but the stories weren't that great; there was no detail to them or the characters, nothing special about them. They had a great opportunity with the inclusion of the Silver Surfer, but even that was poorly done and handled with little detail.

I do agree that there should be some time, a few more years, before they release the reboot. Let the other ones fade away.

[Steven S.]

I'd rather see a reboot done sooner than later just to give the first two godawful movies the middle fingers they deserve (ie; Hulk style). The only good thing about either of them in my opinion was Michael Chiklis as the Thing. I could try for the rest of my life and not come up with a more pathetic way to handle Galactus. It really feels to me like almost everyone involved with the FF franchise as it stands thought they were being paid to screw up. Ditto Ghost Rider. I say remake em.

[The Postmaster General]

Haha. I just think it's funny and am now laughing thinking of all the movies they could reboot just for shits and giggles. Fox Searchlight to reboot... Juno.

[venom718]

The fanstastic Four films can be crossover mania.fantastic Four has met darn near all the superheroes of marvel.They can crossover spiderman,namor,silversurfer,the hulk,ironman etc etc.

[shawn-o]

Jessica Alba was a miscast. She looked way too "ethnic" to be convincing as Chris Evans' sister. Plus she was too young to play Sue.

Sue is supposed to be older than Johnny, but both actors are the same age. Hell Alba looks younger than Evans(although she's older by a couple months) but still it was hard for me to see her pulling off being four years older. Not to mention she looked and was too young for Reed.

And it was hard for me to take her being a scientist seriously. Not being mean, but Alba doesn't strike me as an intelligent (scientist) woman, they tried to make her look so by having her wear glasses. Sue Storm is supposed to be smart, but not in the same level as Reed.

Don't get me wrong, I find her very attractive and I think she's a fine actress, but boy was she a total miscast. She didn't exactly fit the mother of the team role that Sue has in the comics.

I would have much rather had Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar or Ali Larter as Sue. At least they're genuinely attractive, have more strength to their presence and are older than Chris Evans.

And I hope they get somebody a LOT better than Tim Story. He said he never wants to make a movie with giant robots in it. Well then he shouldn't have been directing this movie in the first place. This is why Galactus was a cloud.


Jessica Alba was miscasted because when someone like Jessica Alba is one screen...THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE INVISIBLE!! I mean come on seriously, its Jessica Alba

[Sad man]

I don't mind a reboot at all. The first two movies were mediocre. They should keep The Thing and The Human Torch cast choices though.

[Damone]

I know DC does this as well but, to me, this is just typical Marvel.


"If at first you don't succeed, reboot with a new number 1."

[Smiert Spionam]

Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick up where the last film left off with Galactus coming to Earth, make a Silver Surfer film with him teaming with the FF to save the day, and then just recast the roles of the FF?

*shrug*

[God of War]

Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick up where the last film left off with Galactus coming to Earth, make a Silver Surfer film with him teaming with the FF to save the day, and then just recast the roles of the FF?
That's along the lines I was thinking too. But now that I've given it a few more seconds thought, lol. They really shouldn't reboot this franchise. Just leave it.

[Hey Man]

Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick up where the last film left off with Galactus coming to Earth, make a Silver Surfer film with him teaming with the FF to save the day, and then just recast the roles of the FF?

*shrug*

The continuity has to match. If they are making a more serious and more true to the comic version of Fantastic Four - they can't have these silly comedies with mild action and then all of a sudden make an epic sci-fi film that is heavier on the drama and action.

I mean seriously - do you care? If FF was properly cast tomorrow with a REAL director attached, would you really miss the live action version of the Fantastic Four cartoon?