The Long-Awaited First Trailer for 'Fantastic Four' is Here!

Here it is! After months of literally nothing from Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot, yesterday we got our first official set photo and now the trailer has arrived weeks ahead of schedule. From the beginning it's been clear that Trank was working from a very different version of Marvel's "First Family" than fans were accustomed to, and with the melancholic, deep sci-fi flavor of this trailer he seems to have hit the nail on the head. And the best part is that it still keeps plenty under wraps to be discovered later. Impressive, but the key is going to be how the fanboys react.

The film stars Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm with Toby Kebbell as Doctor Doom, renamed Victor Domashev. Here's the official synopsis:

FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Fantastic Four opens August 7th.

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Check Out a First Look at Michael B. Jordan in His 'Fantastic Four' Costume

Is Josh Trank's Fantastic Four relaunch a disaster before anybody has seen a second of footage? Many have already begun to assume the worse since 20th Century Fox have passed up on every chance to show anything from the film. But the curtain is finally getting lifted now as Collider has provided the first set photo which shows Michael B. Jordan in his Johnny Storm costume.

By now it's become clear that this version of the Fantastic Four won't be like any version we've seen before. It's basically an origin story that Trank tells the site will be inspired by David Cronenberg  movies like The Fly and Scanners....

"Maybe the biggest influence for me in terms of an overall view and communicating tool to the various department was Scanners or The Fly. In terms of the feeling of what these powers are. Because the drama speaks for itself in terms of the script or the story but the look of the movie and the feel of the movie has to be more evocative.

I would say that the science fiction of it is a big thing that sets it apart from most of the other superhero genre films. I’m a huge David Cronenberg fan, and I always viewed Fantastic Four and the kind of weirdness that happens to these characters and how they’re transformed to really fall in line more with a Cronenberg-ian science fiction tale of something horrible happening to your body and [it] transforming out of control. And the potential for a hard sci-fi take on that material makes me really excited."

The Fantastic Four has always been rooted in hard sci-fi so it shouldn't be completely surprising that Trank is going in that direction. It sounds like he'll be taking an approach very similar to Chronicle, which begs the question if the film will be done with found footage. Some rumors I've heard are that it will be entirely in found footage, but that's still just a rumor. Trank did confirm that Philip Glass and Marco Beltrani are working on the score, while the final runtime could be be as long as 140 minutes. We'll learn more when the Fantastic Four trailer arrives next month ahead of its release on August 7th.

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'Fantastic Four' Going Back for Reshoots; Trailer Attached to 'Kingsman: The Secret Service'

We've reached the point in our movie culture that if a film doesn't show everything right away, the immediate assumption is something has gone terribly wrong. 20th Century Fox has basically refused to show anything of Josh Trank's Fantastic Four film, not even when they had the opportunity at Comic-Con last summer. It has led some to speculate the film is already screwed up, which feeds into the concern some fans have about the approach being taken. And it's likely this news won't help as writer/producer Simon Kinberg tells Latino Review it's going in for a few days of reshooting.......

Kinberg: "To confirm - Fantastic Four will be doing 3-4 days of additional photography with director Josh Trank and some key cast members. We are very excited about the film and can't wait for you to see what we've been up to. And you will be able to do that very soon as I can confirm here that the teaser will be on Kingsman in theaters February 13."

Kinberg's responding to a growing number of stories suggesting Fantastic Four is a complete mess, which is why no promo material has been released. But will the release of the trailer assuage fan fears?  Probably not at this point. With Trank at the helm and a cast that includes Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, this was never going to be a traditional take on Fantastic Four. That has fans more than a little worried, especially those who may not be familiar with Trank's work on Chronicle, which Fantastic Four is likely to resemble a great deal. In other words, expect it to be an origin story that may not have a ton of superpowers in it.

Fantastic Four opens on August 7th.

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Sony Hack Reveals Spider-Man Reboot Plans; Avengers-Style Crossover; Possible 'Spider-Man 3' Directors

Besides the nasty comments towards big celebrities, revealed salaries, vaguely racist comments about President Obama, and an apparent gender bias, this Sony hacking thing hasn't been too bad. Just kidding, it's been downright awful, and it isn't getting any better. The floodgates have been opened and nobody has found the valve to shut it off, and what we're learning the most about are Sony's plans for their tanking Spider-Man franchise, of which there are apparently quite a few.

The Daily Beast did the legwork on this one, digging through the emails and discovering Sony is once again eying another Spidey reboot down the line. Just last month Studio 8's Jeff Robinov began a discussion with Sony's Amy Pascal (she has to hate how her name is ALWAYS out there now) about a new phase for Spider-Man in which the character is treated in much the same way as James Bond. Basically, no matter who is under the suit or who is directing the character is treated the same. No more origin stories, none of that. This would all begin with a complete reboot of the character, and the names he has in mind to direct it is a starry bunch: "Brad Bird, Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee (Frozen), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Don Hall & Chris Williams (Big Hero 6), Phil Lord & Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie), Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki), Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), Edgar Wright, and David Yates."

Good luck with that. He also proposes iconic Spidy story, "Kraven's Last Hunt", as a potential storyline, and considers the idea of depicting Spider-Man as an adult. Y'know, married and boring Peter Parker. The one Marvel Comics twisted themselves into knots to undo some years back. Again, good luck wit that, Robinov, but this probably isn't going to happen.

Colombia Pictures' Michael de Luca seems to have another idea, though, and that's to use a potential Spidey appearance in Captain America: Civil War to springboard future films. We know Sony and Marvel had talks to share the characters' rights, which would lead to someone other than Andrew Garfield in the suit, but whether those discussions continue remains a mystery. In an email from October, de Luca sounds pretty high on the whole idea...

De Luca: “I really feel, in my heart of hearts, that the new spiderman [sic] in cap 3 could just appear in his own film, be it sinister six or a kick ass spidey film of his own, after that intro in cap 3 and people would be cool with it."

He also confirms a rumor from some months ago that 20th Century Fox hopes to team-up their Fantastic Four and X-men franchises in one gigantic superhero extravaganza ala X-men: Days of Future Past or The Avengers, and De Luca thinks Sony can do the same with the "deep" Spider-Man universe...

De Luca:  “[Simon] Kinberg told me fox is steering Xmen and Fantastic Four into an eventual team up film. Seems to me maybe, since the Spider-man universe itself is deep, you guys should look at sinister six, new spidey, female movie and venom as linked pieces leading to eventual mega movie ala Feige and Fox and not stand alone single films. It's early in all these and you can still map out a blueprint for connective tissue.”

Who knows if De Luca's info is accurate here. He says Kinberg told him so he's probably not lying, but doesn't it seem early in the game for Fox to be considering such a move? The Fantastic Four reboot is already a risky venture, and if it flops there most definitely won't be any sequels, much less some huge crossover with the successful X-men franchise.

De Luca also expressed his desire to have Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie) direct The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2018. They obviously have very close ties with the studio and could be open to it, but they're also supposedly working on an animated Spider-Man comedy series or something. Maybe there's been some miscommunication?

If there's anything these emails prove it's that Sony continues to field just about every idea imaginable to try and get Spider-Man back on track. In a sense that's a good thing because it shows they give a care about it, but until some hard decisions are made the web-head's movies will continue to flounder.

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Is this the Plot of the 'Fantastic Four' Reboot?

What are your feelings on the Fantastic Four reboot right now? For the most part, each piece of new information has brought about nothing but anger and consternation in fans of Marvel's "first family" of superheroes, reaching a fever pitch last week when Toby Kebbell revealed that Doctor Doom would be an angry blogger. No cool "ruler of Latveria" thing, just a guy whose Internet handle is "Doom". Well, if that was enough to get people raging then they're sure to hate what's next.

What appears to be the entire plot of Josh Trank's Fantastic Four has found its way online, appearing on Reddit and a few other sites. It could all be a fake, but we've seen other leaks from the closely-guarded production already. Without going into too much detail, this lays out the story basically from start to finish including the relationships between the Fantastic Four, their encounters with Doom, the creation of the Negative Zone, and more.

So check it out, and decide for yourself whether it's legit.  Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Reg E. Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson, and Toby Kebbell, opening on August 7th 2015.

Reed is a genius convenience store clerk with Ben. Reed's parents don't care about him, and Ben's dad is abusive. They're good friends and have each other's backs. Reed writes a paper for community college on teleportation that attracts the attention of Dr. Franklin Storm, CEO of the Baxter Building research center.

Storm has a son, Johnny, and an adoptive daughter, Sue, whose father, Storm's old partner, died in an experiment gone wrong. Johnny and Sue are party kids, and Sue is particularly disdainful of science. Reed and Sue don't get along at first.

Victor Doomashev is a anti-social Eastern European computer programmer and hacktivist who calls himself "Doom". He hates the 1%, particularly Storm, whom he claims corrupts science for profit.
Storm uses Reed's paper to complete some equations on a machine to access another dimension, the N-Zone. Reed invites Ben to watch the machine being turned on. Sue and Johnny are also there. Doom manages to hack into the Baxter Building's servers and use a computer virus to damage the machine, which explodes. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are exposed to otherwordly energy and become mutants with powers that they can't control.

Storm takes them to the Baxter Building and creates containment suits for their powers. They begin to train. Reed and Storm also begin developing a way to revert the accident. Sue blames Reed for everything, but they eventually become friends and then a couple. Ben can switch off his powers when he's not in danger. Johnny changes colors based on heat intensity, and Sue has some borderline telekinetic thing. Reed is pretty much Reed.

Doom finds out that the four have acquired powers and becomes angry it's not him, so he comes up with a plan to break into the Baxter Building to access the N-Zone through the rebuild machine. As a distraction, he reprograms a bunch of stolen military drones, the "Doombots", to attack the building. The four come together as a team for the first time and save people.

Doom activates the machine and gets technopathy powers or something, basically energy blasts and making machines obey to him, and a fight ensues. The machine goes critical, and, in order to prevent it from exploding and destroying the city, the four push into it and Storm shuts it off.

There's a countdown before it reaches critical mass. Inside the N-Zone, the four battle Doom again, and manage to leave him trapped there after he disfigures himself soaking up too much power. The Four manage to escape, but Ben gets the blunt of it to protect Reed and can't switch back.

The machine is destroyed, Doom is gone, the four have learned to work as a team, and Reed vows to find a cure for Ben. And it ends there.

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Doctor Doom's Surprising New Name and Origin in the 'Fantastic Four' Reboot

How much have we actually seen of Josh Trank's Fantastic Four relaunch? Other than a pair of set photos, not a heck of a lot. Most of what we know has been learned from the cast, and that was enough to send fans into an uproar because, frankly, this version of the FF is going to be vastly different from the original comics. If the lineup of Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell wasn't enough to make that obvious, then maybe these comments by Toby Kebbell, who plays villain Doctor Doom, will do the trick.

Kebbell opened up a little bit to Collider about what his version of Doom will be like, revealing that he's not going to be Victor Von Doom, he's not going to be ruler of Latveria, but he's got one busy Wordpress account.

Kebbell: “He’s Victor Domashev, not Victor von Doom in our story. And I’m sure I’ll be sent to jail for telling you that. The Doom in ours—I’m a programmer. Very anti-social programmer. And on blogging sites I’m ‘Doom.’ “

So it will certainly be a modernization of the character but then again so was Julian McMahon's unfortunate version in the other movies. This news will undoubtedly cause a flurry of angry posts on FF message boards, but I trust in Trank and Simon Kinberg to make this work...even though it sounds pretty horrible. Fantastic Four is set to open on August 7th 2015.

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Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan Talk 'Fantastic Four' Changes; Marvel Refuses to Help Promote Film

In case it hasn't been made pretty clear already, Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox's version of the Fantastic Four is going to be totally different from anything we've seen before. And that includes anything we've seen in the comics pages. And it goes far beyond the mixed casting of Kate Mara, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell as Marvel's "first family" of superheroes; they are going to be different in other fundamental ways. And at least according to Teller, who will play brainiac Reed Richards, it's because of those changes that he was convinced to come aboard. He recently told Vulture...

Teller: “It’s different in every way. All those actors were a lot older, their characters were in different places. The tone of this film is completely different: We don’t have Michael Chiklis in a big Styrofoam thing, and I think that [a more grounded approach] is what people are into — X-Men: First Class is doing that. You’re dealing with these characters but you’re making them real people in how they exist day-to-day. People wanted it to be taken more seriously than the kind of Dick Tracy, kitschy, overly comic-book world.”

He went on to talk to MTV about how Trank had to really fight for the cast he wanted, and sell Fox on the approach.

Teller:  “I ended up meeting Josh [Trank] a year before and the script was going through some stuff. Then I tested for the role of Reed Richards; I think I'm the only person that did. But absolutely, it took a lot of convincing. For me with Reed Richards, I know Josh [Trank] really had to [pull for me]. Josh did for all of the characters. For Jamie [Bell], he really vouched for [him]. For [Jordan], he was like, ‘This is my guy’ from the bat. He was very specific on who he wanted to play these characters. I was his guy for it."

Trank might have known Michael B. Jordan was his guy, but having an African-American as the typically white Human Torch has pissed a lot of people off. Then again these are the same folks who cried about Idris Elba as Heimdall. Friggin' Heimdall. Nobody cares about Heimdall. Anyway, Jordan has always taken the criticism in stride, and he continued to do so while speaking with the New York Daily News...

Jordan:  “I don’t think about it. Can’t make everybody happy. I loved comic books. Japanese animation, cartoons, so to be able to play a character that I always fantasized about and always wanted to be — to have powers and stuff like that — and to be a part of Marvel’s family, it’s a huge deal for me. I’ve known about this character and playing this role for almost two and a half years now. So when I get all these new questions about how I’m feeling about it, I’m like, ‘You know, I’m feeling pretty good about it.’”

Short of a couple of set photos showing the Thing and Toby Kebbell's Doctor Doom, Fantastic Four has been kept completely under wraps, not even making an appearance at Comic-Con. And perhaps that's because Trank wants to keep the team's new look a secret for as long as possible because according to Jordan even the costumes will be different. He tells ABC News...

Jordan:  "It's a new look. We are all in containment suits. The costume process definitely took some time to get in and out of that thing, especially since I was bulking up. It was a little more snug during filming. We got through it man. It was a process, but we did it. It was hard work."

So basically, don't count on anything being as you remember it. And don't count on Marvel giving this movie much in the way of support. Rumors have been swirling for months that Marvel/Disney would be ceasing any promotion of the Fantastic Four so as not to help their rivals at Fox, who own the film rights. Marvel's decision would include cancelling the Fantastic Four comic book, removing the characters from posters, toys, promo art, everything. Bleeding Cool has now confirmed this to be true, and it's an unprecedented move for the company to make. And at least in my opinion it's the first shot across the bow at studios who took advantage of Marvel's bankruptcy years ago and acquired the rights to some of their prominent characters.

Of course, it's easy for Marvel to do this with Fantastic Four because the comic doesn't sell all that much, but would they dare do the same with Spider-Man, whose rights are now owned by Sony? What about the X-men, another Fox film property? Probably not, but then again they did just kill off Wolverine, the X-men's most popular character.

Anyway, the Fantastic Four reboot is set to open August 7th 2015.

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Leaked Set Photos May Reveal First Look at Doctor Doom in 'Fantastic Four'

Not long after 20th Century Fox offered up nothing on Fantastic Four at Comic-Con, a set photo emerged that appeared to be our first look at Jamie Bell as The Thing. That's never actually been confirmed but now Geek Pride is posting very similar images from Josh Trank's reboot, only these show Toby Kebbell as the villainous Doctor Doom.

These photos seem to have been taken at the same location as the earlier shots, and in them you can see a much creepier version of Victor von Doom than we've seen before. Who is that guy standing opposite, though? Is that perhaps Jamie Bell's stunt double as The Thing? He's bulky enough to be. A stand-in, or in this case fly-in, of the Human Torch (Michael B. Jordan) is also present so we may be looking at a showdown between the team and Doom.

That's assuming these are legit, of course.  Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson, and opens June 19th 2015.

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First Look at the Thing in 'Fantastic Four'?

So the 20th Century Fox panel at Comic-Con came and went, and want to know what wasn't presented? Well, anything superheroic. No X-men, and certainly nothing of Fantastic Four. In the case of the latter, many fans were hoping to see something from the secretive shoot, taking place now in New Orleans. But it clear some time ago that it wouldn't happen, yet we may be getting a first look at it, anyway.

What appears to be the CGI reference bust for the Thing, Jamie Bell's character in the film, was tweeted then quickly deleted by @justifiedfilms. Is it real? Well, kinda looks like it and it's pretty impressive, too. Basically a CGI reference is basically a place holder for future computer animation.

What do you think? Cool? Fantastic Four opens June 19th 2015.

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Michael B. Jordan Says 'Fantastic Four' is Still Evolving

We haven't seen much from Josh Trank's currently-filming Fantastic Four reboot, yet it's still making a lot of noise and causing fans to get anxious. Earlier this week Kate Mara, who plays Susan Storm aka Invisible Woman, said the story wouldn't be based on any specific comic and that had some fanboys worried. But one who isn't at all concerned is Michael B. Jordan, who has already created waves by taking on the role of Johnny Storm. Speaking with MTV, Jordan agrees the production has basically been secreted away from the press, and says Trank's evolving plans are part of the reason...

Jordan: "We have been pretty much in our own world, that's really the only way we could get a project like this done. It is so massive, so many moving parts, so many moving pieces, things are changing every day...The script is evolving, [you make] on set decisions on the fly, things are always constantly changing. Me personally, I block out that extra noise and I focus on the job I have to do. It is an important film for all of us… We’re taking it seriously, taking a lot of risks. I think it’s going to pay off."

Learning that Trank is doing things "on the fly" probably isn't going to calm fan fears, but Jordan insists there is a plan in place and that it calls for a very different Fantastic Four than we've ever seen on screen....

Jordan: "As much as everybody thinks that these projects are cemented in years before, they’re not. There’s so many things that you just can’t account for. You know, you can try and plan as much as you want, but you get there on game day and you get thrown a curve ball, I guess, hey, the game plan goes out the window. You’ve got to adapt.Josh’s vision is very clear and he knows exactly what he wants, and he gives us room to adapt and to play. That’s what I kind of think sets us apart, is that this is going to be grounded and unconventional. It’s not your typical superhero film, you know, we aren’t looking at this as like, being superheroes. We’re more or less a bunch of kids that had an accident and we have disabilities now that we have to cope with, and try to find a life afterwards – try to be as normal as we can."

Looking at their powers as disabilities is interesting even if it doesn't make a lot of sense except in the case of Ben Grimm.  There's no official confirmation 20th Century Fox will have the film at Comic-Con but the rumors are the cast will be there. Hopefully we'll get some footage and maybe some more info on Fantastic Four then.

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Cue Outrage: Kate Mara Says 'Fantastic Four' Isn't Based on a Specific Story

With a cast that features Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Miles Teller, it should be pretty obvious that Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox aren't doing the same ol' Fantastic Four. This is going to be radically different, and apparently that will include far more than just the familial ties between the characters. In an interview with Esquire Mexico, Mara revealed that she isn't much of a comic book fan, but that it doesn't really matter because Fantastic Four will be presenting an entirely new story about Marvel's "First Family" of superheroes...

Mara:  "I've never been a fan of comics, I've never actually read one. I was going to for this movie but the director said it wasn't necessary. Well, actually he told us that we shouldn't do it because the plot won't be based on any history of anything already published. So I chose to follow his instructions. The one fact is I am a fan of comic book movies, so it's very exciting to be part of a movie like this."

Some are using this as a reason to get bent out of shape about the film before they've seen a single frame. But I don't see what all of the fuss is about. Would X-men: Days of Future Past have been any more or less great if Chris Claremont had never written the comic decades ago? Nope. And there were so many changes to it that it can be considered an entirely new story, anyway. And besides, we've seen the traditional Fantastic Four on screen already and everybody hated it. When you've got creators like Trank and Simon Kinberg the best thing to do is let them forge their own path with these characters rather than sticking to stuff we already know and have already seen. People really need to chill about stuff like this, and that includes those in my own tribe of comic book fanatics.

Fantastic Four is set to open on June 19th 2015.

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Tim Blake Nelson Joins 'Fantastic Four' as Mole Man

The days of comic book movies with one hero facing one villain are over. With many of these films stretching nearly to three hours in length, and of course the need to set up future movies, the more bad guys filling the screen the better. Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot already has Toby Kebbell lined up to play Doctor Doom, but now there's one more baddie the team will face.

Character actor and director Tim Blake Nelson has joined Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Kebbell in the cast, taking on the role of Harvey Elder. Elder is better known as the team's very first enemy, the Mole Man, appearing in the pages of 1961's Fantastic Four #1. Mole Man was a scientist hated by the scientist community due to his dwarfish appearance, bad attitude, and outdated "hollow earth" theories. While exploring the hidden land known as Monster Island, Elder fell into a deep, dark chasm, becoming partially blind in the process. Unable to escape and unwilling to go back to the surface world that shunned him, he decided to stay and discovered the underground realm known as Subterranea, becoming its ruler and leader of the Moloid race.Elder won't appear as Mole Man in the film but it's being set up for him to show up in sequels as a villain.

Nelson is becoming a go-to guy for playing Marvel scientists-turned-villains. He played Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, in The Incredible Hulk.

Fantastic Four opens on June 19th 2015. [THR]

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Cinema Royale #57- Captain America: The Winter Soldier; The Raid 2

Two kick ass action flicks and one awesome interview makes for an amazing show! Captain America: The Winter Soldier storms into theaters, bringing back the "First Avenger" to face a threat from his past! We'll look at whether it can keep up Marvel's incredible momentum as they march towards Avengers: Age of Ultron! But that's not all, as Cinema Royale will be joined by directors Joe and Anthony Russo to discuss Captain America's latest adventure!

The Raid: Redemption was an instant classic when it premiered a couple of years ago. Can the eagerly-anticipated sequel, The Raid 2, possibly hope to live up to the extraordinary expectations?

+Jeffrey Lyles  from the Lyles' Movie Files website joins us for an action packed show!

Head over to the Cinema Royale website and sign up to receive the free podcast every single week, full of movie news and reviews from some of DC's top critics. And while you're there, consider signing up for the premium service, which grants you access to the full back catalog of shows; complete unedited interviews with top guests such as Jason Bateman, Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Coogan and more. Plus you'll receive special premium content such as our Oscars and WAFCA awards specials, and our comic book movie refresher courses!

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'Fantastic Four' Casts Toby Kebbell as Doctor Doom

Now that Josh Trank has put together his Fantastic Four with Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Miles Teller, and Kate Mara, the team needs a villain to face. There was never any doubt it would Doctor Doom, the only question was who would be under the metal mask. With a list of names circulating a few weeks ago, we now know it was Toby Kebbell who has emerged with the role.

Variety reports that Kebbell has beaten out Domhnall Gleeson, Eddie Redmayne, and Sam Riley to play Reed Richards' arch-nemesis in the big screen reboot. In the comics, Victor von Doom was an intellectual rival of Richards while in college. After an experiment literally blew up in his face, Doom donned the metal mask and proceeded to make Richards' life a living Hell. There's a lot more to the story than that, but it remains to be seen how Trank and screenwriter Simon Kinberg approach it.

Kebbell has been a great character actor for a long time, getting his big break in Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla. He's got plenty of blockbuster experience, having co-starred in Wrath of the Titans and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Next up for him is another tentpole, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. There was even a time when he was on the verge of playing Tetsuo in a live-action Akira movie, but that fell through. Basically, this is a really solid move bringing him aboard.

Fantastic Four hits theaters June 19th 2015, and should begin production soon.

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'Fantastic Four' Reboot will Proceed Unchanged

Considering we ran the story about Fox possibly looking to replace Josh Trank on the Fantastic Four reboot and possibly do away with the cast, it's only right that we post what looks to be a semi-retraction of that claim. A couple of days ago our friends at Bleeding Cool reported that the studio was not only looking to make those major changes, but do away with Simon Kinberg's script. It was met with some pointed denials very soon afterwards, not the usual mealy-mouthed responses studio reps usually offer. And now Bleeding Cool has updated their story by saying...

We are in no doubt that Fox are going ahead with their current production plans with Fantastic Four.

Right now. But, last week we were also in no doubt that they’d been looking to junk it all. And these aren’t mutually exclusive notions.

 They have a point that it's totally possible Fox was looking to go in a different direction some days ago and have since changed their minds. Perhaps they got cold feet after hearing the knee-jerk reaction to the casting of Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Miles Teller, and Kate Mara, only to re-evaluate and proceed ahead. Whatever the case, it looks like Fantastic Four is going to hit its April start date. Last we heard before all of this was that Sam Riley, Domhnall Gleeson, Eddie Redmayne, and Toby Kebbell were vying for the role of arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom.

Fantastic Four opens June 19th 2015.

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Is Fox Looking to Drop Josh Trank and Re-Cast 'Fantastic Four'?

There may be trouble afoot for 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four reboot. While the film has had some past issues with the script, those seemed to be relatively minor. There was the expected Internet uproar when Josh Trank cast Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell to play the superhero team, but that's sort of the nature of the beast when dealing with comic book fanboys. However, it's possible that Fox has taken the prior issues and the fan response to heart because a rumor has surfaced they are looking to make some sweeping changes.

Our friends at Bleeding Cool, who tend to be really good on this stuff, cite a "well-connected source" saying Fox is trying to remove Trank from the directing job, scrap Simon Kinberg's script, and they apparently have some problems with the cast.   This could be a fatal blow for a franchise that already has an uphill battle against Disney, Warner Bros., and the perception the Fantastic Four simply aren't cool.

On the other hand, Screen Crush has spoken to "high level studio sources" who say the entire story is false and Trank is on set. So who do we believe? We'll find out soon enough as production is to begin soon for release on March 6th 2015. If April rolls on and we haven't seen any photos, we'll know something is up.

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Domhnall Gleeson, Eddie Redmayne and More on Shortlist for Dr. Doom in 'Fantastic Four'

There were once rumors that Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox were considering a female Dr. Doom in the director's Fantastic Four reboot, but that was quickly squashed. Now the rumor is further trampled by the news that the shortlist for the role has been narrowed down to four, and they are all very male and rather low on the Hollywood totem pole.

According to The Wrap, Domhnall Gleeson, Toby Kebbell, Sam Riley, and Eddie Redmayne are up to play the Fantastic Four's arch-nemesis, Victor von Doom. All are relatively unknown but come with varying degrees of franchise experience. Gleeson, who was terrific in the Sundance hit, Frank, was one of the Weasley brothers in the Harry Potter movies. Kebbell played a god in Wrath of the Titans and was once set for the shelved live-action Akira.  Riley is probably best known for the Ian Curtis biopic, Control, and will appear in Maleficent opposite Angelina Jolie. Redmayne was brilliant in Tom Hooper's Les Miserables and plays a villain in the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending. Jack Huston (American Hustle) was mentioned for the part some time ago but doesn't seem to be in the picture anymore.

Whoever gets to wear the iron mask of Doom will co-star alongside Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, and Jamie Bell. Expect a decision soon as Fantastic Four begins filming later this month for release June 19th 2015.

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Michael B. Jordan Says 'Fantastic Four' Criticism "Was Expected"

It began way back when Michael B. Jordan's name first surfaced as a contender to play Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four, but the outcry against it reached a new level when he was recently confirmed. Director Josh Trank, who worked with Jordan on Chronicle, and 20th Century Fox are moving away from the traditional Caucasian interpretation of the character, while mixing things up by casting Kate Mara as Storm's sister, the Invisible Woman. Jordan has always taken the criticisms in stride, and during a conversation in Rome with Cinefilos he seems to be rolling with the punches just fine...

Jordan: "It was expected. You kinda know going into it that people are used to seeing something one way, it's a continuity thing more than anything. People don't like change too much. But annoyed? Eh, you just kinda accept it, it is what it is. You can't make everybody happy. You just gotta accept that and know. I'm an actor, I have to do my job. I'm going to do my job the best I can and the way I've been doing it my entire life, my entire career. I grew up a comic book guy, I read comic books as a kid growing up, and the Fantastic Four/Human Torch is one of my favorite characters so I'm going to give it my everything. I can't wait. I don't really let it bother me at all. I just want to go into it and do the best job I can. We'll see what happens."

I think he's being generous saying this is mostly about continuity when there is clearly a racial component to much of the outrage. The previous Fantastic Four films had Chris Evans and Jessica Alba as siblings, and there's no combination of DNA that could have made them look like family. In particular Alba was a far cry from the blond-haired blue-eyed Susan Storm and there wasn't any screaming about that.

Jordan also spoke about his reasons for taking on the role, and it turns out he's a bit of a comic book geek, too...

Jordan: "The Human Torch is, 'yknow, that's fun. That's going to be a good time…To play a superhero? That's dreams coming true. It's not going to be hard. It's going to be fun to kind of show a side of me that I don't really get to show on screen, to be a little bit lighter, funnier, just more personality. It's going to be fun."

Fantastic Four will star Jordan, Mara, Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, and opens June 19th 2015.

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The New 'Fantastic Four' Have Been Revealed!

After months of rumors and various casting reports, Josh Trank has decided on the young cast for his reboot of the Fantastic Four.When we spoke to Miles Teller some weeks ago he sounded pretty sure that a decision would be made in just a few weeks, and not only was he right but he has indeed been set to play Reed Richard aka Mr. Fantastic. He'll be joined by Kate Mara as Sue Storm aka the Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch, and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm aka the Thing.

Jordan was amongst the very first mentioned for film, stirring up a great deal of controversy in the process due to him being African-American. We'll see how Trank intends to handle that but the most likely scenario is that one or both of the Storms are adopted. Or they come from a merged family like The Brady Bunch, which could cause some interesting sibling tension.  Jordan, along with Teller and Mara, were high on Trank's list from the beginning and it sounds like their deals are mostly in place. Bell was a recent contender and is in "heavy talks" to finalize his deal.

The combination of Teller and Jordan have been busy, recently starring in That Awkward Moment and signing on for an upcoming heist thriller. Mara can be seen on Netflix series House of Cards and has a role in Wally Pfister's directorial debut, Transcendence. Bell will appear soon in Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac, and has some experience with motion-capture roles having starred in The Adventures of Tintin. 

Filming on Fantastic Four is to begin next month for release on June 19th 2015.  [TheWrap]

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Doctor Doom May Switch Genders in 'Fantastic Four'; Kate Mara, Emmy Rossum Testing for Sue Storm

 We spoke to Miles Teller a couple of weeks ago at the Sundance Film Festival where he was promoting his new film, Whiplash, and he told us that casting decisions on the Fantastic Four reboot should be coming up soon. Looks like he wasn't far off as THR reports screen testing is underway now with a few more names added to the list of contenders, plus a couple that never made the cut.

Kate Mara and Emmy Rossum are said to have read for the role of the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, with Elizabeth Olsen and Saoirse Ronan apparently out of the picture. Mara has been rumored previously, along with Girls star Allison Williams. Miles Teller has also tested for the role of team leader, Reed Richards, and appears to be the frontrunner with Kit Harington moving on to star in Testament of Youth. Meanwhile, Christian Cook (Romeo & Juliet) is in contention to play the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, but there's no mention of the previously-rumored Josh Gad.

Meanwhile, THR says that Michael B. Jordan is indeed locked in to play the Human Torch, exercising the option they had on him after starring in Chronicle for Josh Trank. But the most intriguing idea the story pushes is that Doctor Doom, the expected villain of the film, may be played by a female as the studio searches for a big name to take on the part. If they thought people were upset over an African-American Johnny Storm, wait until they propose a female Doctor Doom.

More auditions are expected over the coming days. Fantastic Four is expected to open March 6th 2015.

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