20th Century Fox’s upcoming reboot of The Fantastic Four is arguably one of the most universally derided films in recent memory, despite the fact that we have yet to see anything official from it. Fans certainly have their reasons for being upset though. Whether it’s because of origin story changes, the casting of young and race-swapped actors, or a more “gritty” approach to the titular super family, this project is definitely causing controversy.
Fox isn’t doing itself any favors by not releasing any official information, images, or footage from the film either, leaving much of the heavy lifting up to writer and producer Simon Kinberg and the stars. Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch) has offered his thoughts about the project’s “evolving” script, while Kate Mara (Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman) dropped a bombshell that the film wouldn’t draw too heavily from the source material. Now, Miles Teller, who plays Mr. Fantastic himself, Reed Richards, has given his two cents about the movie.
One of the biggest questions plaguing fans is how exactly this new adaption will differ from the Tim Story films of the mid-2000s, which are often regarded as some of the worst comic book movies of all time. Luckily, Teller says that the reboot will distance itself from those films entirely and give us something “completely different.”
In an interview with Vulture, he stated:
“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.
At the end of the day, it all depends on the product. Guardians of the Galaxy was a really fresh take on it, I think people responded to that. In terms of where we are in the schedule, we’re playing the same weekend they were playing. But it’s a big summer: You’ve got Avengers [Age of Ultron], and my buddy [Whiplash co-star J.K. Simmons] in Terminator, and you got Jurassic World. There’s a ton of movies out there, so if people have an appetite for it, they’ll see a couple, and if not, maybe they’ll just see one.”
Whether or not a “more serious” take on the Fantastic Four – one of the more “fun” and “campy” teams in Marvel Comics – is what fans really want is up for debate. However, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of variety in the superhero genre, which is rapidly expanding with each passing year. Personally, I’m remaining optimistic about the reboot, but I know I’m in the minority.
Tell us, what do you think of Teller’s comments? Are you optimistic about the new direction the Fantastic Four is heading, or would you like to see something a bit more true to the source material? Let us know in the comments below.
Directed by Josh Trank, Fantastic Four hits theaters on August 7th, 2015.
