Josh Trank Dubs Fantastic Four A Mix Of Spielberg And Burton; New Images Land

In the space of 24 hours, we’ve gone from having a vague, hazy idea of how Ben Grimm’s altered form would appear in the Fantastic Four to owning definitive proof. Earlier fan snaps of the character, whose transformation in the alternate world sees him dubbed The Thing, weren’t exactly coherent and so, Fox revealed the first proper still yesterday. A clear front-facing image, it’s brought to life the sheer enormity of the character, despite it bearing no resemblance to the actor playing him, Jamie Bell.

If that long-awaited preview wasn’t enough, then fear not. Entertainment Weekly‘s latest summer preview includes another snap of The Thing, moments before crushing something just offscreen. In addition, USA Today unveiled a fresh look at Miles Teller’s Reed Richards poring over a techno-gadget spewing wires and all sort of hi-tech gimmickry. You can check them both out in the gallery above.

Elsewhere in EW’s preview coverage, director Josh Trank re-affirms the movie’s inspiration. Once again citing the resume of David Cronenberg – the master of 70s and 80s body horror – as a huge influence:

“I just kinda jumped to ‘body horror’ in my head,” he says. “Chronicle is about the evolution and strengthening of unique powers. This movie is really viewing them as a curse.”

That’s nothing compared to his later comment though, which alludes to two equally impressive filmmaking powerhouses:

“Trank describes the tone of the film as a cross between Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton—what he calls “Dark Amblin.”

The tone of Spielberg and Burton via the mythos of Cronenberg? Fantastic Four‘s August 6th release date really can’t come soon enough.

THE 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.