Josh Trank slept with a gun due to Michael B. Jordan casting as Human Torch

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

When Marvel announced that CHRONICLE director Josh Trank was set to reboot the comic studio's first family for the big screen, I was nothing if not optimistic. Having really enjoyed CHRONICLE upon its release, and figuring that Trank had a knack for sci-fi action, I was ready to see what this promising director had up his sleeve for my long-time favorite superhero team. Unfortunately, problems arose before filming even began when it was announced that CREED and BLACK PANTHER actor Michael B. Jordan was to play the role of Johnny Storm. To put it mildly, a subset of fans were outraged by the idea of Jordan flaming on as the hot-headed character, and so a series of online threats aimed at Trank ensued. In fact, the situation got so bad that Trank resorted to sleeping with a gun by his side, fearful that an angry fan would attack him under the cloak of night.

Trank revealed as much about the casting backlash while speaking with Polygon. "I was getting threats on IMDb message boards saying they were going to shoot me. I was so fucking paranoid during that shoot. If someone came into my house, I would have ended their fucking life," Trank told the outlet while recanting his struggle to remain sane and safe during the film's production. "When you’re in a head space where people want to get you, you think, 'I’m going to defend myself,'" he added.

If nothing else, Trank's version of the Fantastic Four was an attempt at reinvigorating the characters after Tim Story's FANTASTIC FOUR (2005) and FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007) left fans wanting more from the time-honored team of superheroes. As such, Trank's take focused on a younger version of the team and even went so far as to rewrite their origin story – an aspect of the plot that did not sit well with fans. To begin, Sue (Kate Mara) and Johnny were not biological siblings, but were two individuals that had been welcomed into the family. The movie also presented a very different (and rather murderous) Doctor Doom (played by Toby Kebbell). Though the character has killed in the comics, Trank's version of the Latverian leader was seen by many as an unhinged killer, who lacked in the character's signature intelligence and penchant for casting dark magics against his enemies. To say the movie was a hot mess would be an understatement.

Be that as it may, being made to feel like you need to sleep with a gun is deeply uncool, and is something that Trank should never have had to consider. It's to be understood that some fans take their favorite characters very seriously, though threats of violence will often get you nowhere except onto someone's shit list.