Fantastic Four reborn! - Part 2

[Thread Manager]

This is a continuation thread, the old thread is 347471

[highguard]

I expect an announcment from Fox any day now. In any case....and in honor Of Johnathan Spencer Storm, the Human Torch.

...... an edited repost of my tribute in the comic book forum.....



Well, it is the end of an era. So I should say something on these boards that I peruse and enjoy so much. Today I think I will add my two cents on the death of the Human Torch. Heroes are a rare thing in this world. The guy lauded by the president at a recent memorial as a hero put his life on the line to save the life of a shooting victim instead of running to safety. He was not the only one to run to help but he lived, others died. That is what heroes do despite the possible mortal outcomes. Everyday men and women in the armed services, policemen, firemen, and others risk life and limb to save others, they too are heroes. They are the bravest, selfless souls who bring cheer and inspiration to so many of us.

And so we come to the idea of Super Heroes, as spider man often recalls, with great power must come great responsibility. I loved the idea of super heroes from the time I was a child. I loved the Fantastic Four, loved their bright blue costumes, their family dynamic, the squabbles and the heart warming banter found in every family. Reed and Sue were the adults and if truth be told Johnny and Ben were the children even before there was Franklyn and Valeria. At times they were reckless, immature, thoughtless and annoying and yet we all loved them so. This was a true family, the first family of comics.

As I grew older Reed Richards became more of a favorite with me, but when I was a kid the human torch was my hero. His powers were bright and flashy and visually stunning. I still thrill to the awesome visuals of the torch provided by Jack "King" Kirby, big John Buscema, Rich Buckler, George Perez and even John Byrne whose style grew on me and who can forget Joltin Joe Sinnot the inker supreme. These guys brought me much joy in their portrayal of my childhood hero. I also am humbled by the care these writers brought to these characters, Stan the man Lee and Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Byrne, Claremont, and now I must add Johnathan Hickman to the list of greats.

I think Mr Hickman did not show the final stand because obviously it leaves us with some hope and that is a stunning achievment for a writer of fiction. Some writers are hacks, because they have not taken the time to see the potential of what they have but I now see a glimmer of what Mr Hickman is trying to do. Many complained about the pace of his book but I begin to see a possible masterpiece. He knows the death is but a tease, that the hope of this story is yet to be told, that people want to be inspired, to hope to dream. For many kids that is what comic books were, a vehicle to take us away to magical places, hopeful lives, and heroic people.


It seemed fitting that Johnny would stare at a billion to one odds and shout his defiance into the black abyss before him. I hope for the day when Mr Hickman will show us the true extent of his battle with the bugs. The last page was black, but the Human Torch was always about fire and light, Johnny was never the hero that spider man was, or Iron Man or Thor my current favorite hero but his potential is undeniable.

He is the man child with the fearless heart who always ran off before thinking to the oft consternation of Reed or Sue, the guy with the power of the sun who could fry the flesh off of wolverine without breaking a sweat if he really wanted to. The guy that possibly could take out a billion enemies on one continent. As a child these were the questions I had, why don't they show his true power, the power of the sun, the flame, the fire. Well given what I suspect Mr Hickman is about to do, maybe we will get to see Johnny Storm in all his blazing glory. I hope you survived Johnny, and I thank you Mr Hickman because I suspect that by the time you are done with this story, the Fantastic Four will have changed, and the Human Torch will finally take his place among the greats.

So thank you Mr Hickman for making us and others who may not have grown up with this character care about what happens next.

We are waiting Johnny Storm, find your way back home to your family.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I think Planet of The apes proved the technology is there. That was a completely CGI character that was on screen for most of the movie with more emotion and physical interaction than most human actors and the character was completely believable.

And because that character was based on a Chimpanzee - which is a real animal that we know and therefore can detect even slight imperfections - and because it was done on a relatively modest budget, I'm convinced that, with the right people, A CGI Thing could work.

[Airwings]

They have to make the suits look more like the ones from the comic books. They did it in the 1994 film.

[MarvelComix85]

THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Mister Fantastic - Alexis Denisoff
Invisible Woman - Jennifer Morrison
Human Torch - Travis van Winkle
Thing - Ben Affleck

VILLAINS

Attuma - Karel Roden
Annihilus - Keith Szarabajka
Blastaar - Fred Tatasciore
Boris - William Morgan Shephard
Diablo - Frankie G
Doctor Doom - Richard Armitage
Dorrek VII - Leonard Nimoy
Galactus - Michael Dorn
Gorgon - Ryan Hurst
Gustav Hauptman - Jared Harris
Klaw - Mads Mikkelsen
Krang - Karl Urban
Mad Thinker - Oliver Platt
Maximus the Mad - Dominic West
Mole Man - Paul Giamatti
Power Skrull - Derek Mears (performer)/Christopher Judge (voice)
Puppet Master - Bob Hoskins
Sandman - John Cena
S'Byll - Katey Sagal
Super Skrull - Doug Jones (performer)/Steve Blum (voice)
Trapster - Wade Williams
Wizard - Gary Oldman

ALLIES

Anelle - Shannyn Sossamon
Alicia Masters - Kristin Wiig
Black Bolt - Ryan Gosling
Black Panther - Lance Gross
Crystal - Isabel Lucas
Dorma - Alexa Davalos
Karnak the Shatterer - Temuera Morrison
Medusa - Bridget Regan
Namor - Eric Bana
Namorita - Laura Vandervoort
She-Hulk - Lake Bell
Silver Surfer - Doug Jones (performer)/Billy Cruddup (voice)
Spider-Man - Adam Brody
T'Chaka - Djimon Hounsou
Triton - Jason Statham

[Zap]

Depending on what villain we see in the movie, CGI could work for a lot of the movie. The costumes in the first and second movies gave off a little CGI vibe that could easily be rendered to make them look more like the comics; still modern looking but a hint of synthetic, 60s type would work well I think.

[bubbadoom]

WHY would anyone suggest creating the FF's costumes via CGI?

[marcvader]

GL fan?

[Zap]

GL fan?
Hell, no. Wasn't suggesting it for the costumes necessarily, but rather a lot of the action scenes and backgrounds, particularly when they take place in space.

[Spider-Fan83]

I think Planet of The apes proved the technology is there. That was a completely CGI character that was on screen for most of the movie with more emotion and physical interaction than most human actors and the character was completely believable.

And because that character was based on a Chimpanzee - which is a real animal that we know and therefore can detect even slight imperfections - and because it was done on a relatively modest budget, I'm convinced that, with the right people, A CGI Thing could work.

he actually probably be one of the easier character to CG....

the hardest things to get right in CG is usually realistic/natural looking, skin and hair (which,the Thing, has neither).... another being realistic/natural body movement/facial expressions, which is where motion capture would come in.... the other major remaining issue in cg is the eyes (what people offend call "dead eyes") so, That I think would have to be the main focus, and would be the hardiest part, in terms of letting the actor show throw... but, from what I hear, raise of the planet of the apes, really showed that this can be done...

so, ya, I am all for the mo-cap/CGI, Thing
(but, it would still require a solid preference, not just a voice over, but, a good over all preference, to pull it off)

[MarvelComix85]

Anyone care to comment on my cast (http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=21546059&postcount=5)?

[Willie Lumpkin]

he actually probably be one of the easier character to CG....

the hardest things to get right in CG is usually realistic/natural looking, skin and hair (which,the Thing, has neither).... another being realistic/natural body movement/facial expressions, which is where motion capture would come in.... the other major remaining issue in cg is the eyes (what people offend call "dead eyes") so, That I think would have to be the main focus, and would be the hardiest part, in terms of letting the actor show throw... but, from what I hear, raise of the planet of the apes, really showed that this can be done...

so, ya, I am all for the mo-cap/CGI, Thing
(but, it would still require a solid preference, not just a voice over, but, a good over all preference, to pull it off)

I agree. At the very least, I'd love to see a test by a top-notch effects house just to see what's possible.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Anyone care to comment on my cast (http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=21546059&postcount=5)?

Frankly, when I saw Ben Affleck for the Thing, I wasn't sure if you were joking.

I feel that Alex Denisoff is too old, but I like Oliver Platt as the Mad Thinker and Paul Giamatti as Mole-man. Michael Dorn might be interesting as Galactus and I LOVE Gary Oldman as Wizard.

I'm not up on actors names to comment much on most of the others.

Ben Affleck? No. Sorry, but just no.

[terry78]

I know in the books Grimm's eyes are like a bright steely blue, but if they go with CG they should probably just make the eyes kind of a light blue as that eye color can come off kinda cartoonish.

[Spider-Fan83]

^ just reading your sig... an you know what, ironically, Kinnear, is one the names I've playing around with in my head for a possible, Reed...

[Jordacar]

If they can cast a blue-eyed actor (who also happens to be perfect for Ben), I'm sure they could figure out a way to put his eyes on a CG Thing

[bubbadoom]

For Davie Jones in the Pirates films they used the actor's eyes and mouth and replaced the rest, so I would say that's the easy part with a digital Thing...

[Eddie Dean]

Frankly, when I saw Ben Affleck for the Thing, I wasn't sure if you were joking.

I feel that Alex Denisoff is too old, but I like Oliver Platt as the Mad Thinker and Paul Giamatti as Mole-man. Michael Dorn might be interesting as Galactus and I LOVE Gary Oldman as Wizard.

I'm not up on actors names to comment much on most of the others.

Ben Affleck? No. Sorry, but just no.
The biggest problem with Affleck as The Thing is that we can't have one of the world's most famous Bostonians play the quintessentially New York Ben Grimm.

[MarvelComix85]

Frankly, when I saw Ben Affleck for the Thing, I wasn't sure if you were joking.

I feel that Alex Denisoff is too old, but I like Oliver Platt as the Mad Thinker and Paul Giamatti as Mole-man. Michael Dorn might be interesting as Galactus and I LOVE Gary Oldman as Wizard.

I'm not up on actors names to comment much on most of the others.

Ben Affleck? No. Sorry, but just no.

Well, Ben Affleck does look like Ben Grimm pre-transformation. And didn't someone on the previous Fantastic Four thread say that Mr. Fantastic is supposed to be middle-aged?

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

in the comics ben reed and victor are late 30s to early 40s. now if you want to go a bit younger and have them early 30s don't see why not.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Well, Ben Affleck does look like Ben Grimm pre-transformation. And didn't someone on the previous Fantastic Four thread say that Mr. Fantastic is supposed to be middle-aged?

I don't see it.

http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/scans/FF78_Ben.JPG

http://www.malecelebnews.com/wp-content/ben-affleck0126.jpg


But physical appearance is the least of my concerns. Affleck's personality is all wrong and I've never seen him play a role remotely close to Ben Grimm.

As for Reed, I'd like to see someone around 30. Denisoff is 45 now which would likely put him near 50 by the time the first film is done and well beyond 50 by the third film.

[MarvelComix85]

All right, here's some choices for Ben Grimm:
- Jeffrey Donovan
- Jeffrey Donovan
- Jeremy Sisto
- Jon Hamm
- Mark Wahlberg

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

David Boreanaz is my pick for ben

[Eddie Dean]

Domenick Lombardozzi and that's not up for debate.

[MarvelComix85]

David Boreanaz is my pick for ben

Hey, pretty solid pick, man! :woot:

[SnuffTheRooster]

This is a franchise in desperate need of a reboot. I can see it being done extremely well, if done right. Oh my, just thinking about it makes me jump up and down.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Hey, pretty solid pick, man! :woot:
thanks i have watched Bones for years and he just has the attitude of Ben Grimm in that show. hes kind of a normal guy that has to work with super smart people and is always getting short with them, thats Ben Grimm right there.

[Optimus_Prime_]

David Boreanaz is my pick for ben
Great idea :woot:! I actually could see the logic of Ben Affleck because of previous roles, but as others have stated there is something I don't like about Ben Affleck as Ben Grimm. Maybe it is the Boston-ness, I don't know. Either Way David Boreanaz I think has many of the qualities I like about Ben for Ben, without the things I don't like.
Domenick Lombardozzi and that's not up for debate.
How's this for a debate: He's not bald or fat. I swear half of you either have some really poor memories of what Ben Grimm is like, or your skulls are thicker than the Things. Being bald and fat is such the antithesis of Ben Grimm. His transformation is so horrific in part due to the fact that it stole a rather handsome man's appearance from him. Ben is a confident, strong, Football stud, almost like a Flash Gordon type. However unlike Reed who has a mind underneath his skin, Ben got by heavily on his looks so to speak. There is no catharsis for Ben is he goes from ugly to ugly.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Jeffrey Donovan- Reed Richards
David Boreanaz- Ben Grimm
Yvonne Strahovski- Susan Storm
Anton Yelchin- Johnny Storm

[Spider-Fan83]

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2047/6110110948940961beforet.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/695/6110110948940961beforet.jpg/)

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8279/55279849.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/502/55279849.jpg/)

[Kevin Roegele]

Fantastic Four has so much cinematic potential...it should be a cross between Back to the Future and Star Wars. Very relatable, human characters on an amazing adventure, set-of-the-pants style, exploring ancient hidden worlds, creating incredible devices and using them to fight almost-unbeatable supervilllains and aliens.

An FF movie calls for, above all else, a director with a huge imagination.

[scatterax]

I agree with everything except the ancient worlds thing. let them be astronauts who defend earth from aliens and doctor doom.

[marcvader]

I like the explorer take as well as them being Earth heroes.

[terry78]

Yeah, I think the Chiklis kind of got people confused. Ben Grimm was, to be totally straight up, a pretty good looking mother****er that probably got more ass than a toilet seat before he became Thing.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

it should me more like raiders of the lost ark

[Franklin Richards]

Yeah, I think the Chiklis kind of got people confused. Ben Grimm was, to be totally straight up, a pretty good looking mother****er that probably got more ass than a toilet seat before he became Thing.

I saw some artwork for the new Point One stuff and they had a pre-transformation drawing in there.

He looked like Chris Pine. It kinda worked too. :D


:thing: :thing: :thing:

[Willie Lumpkin]

Chiklis did a great job, but he did it spike of the fact that he wasn't physically right for the part.

[Incrediblejeff]

This guy has some interesting ideas on how to fix the F4.


http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/174268-we-can-fix-it-fantastic-four

[Slushy]

The solution: Bring back everybody, but Jessica Alba. Considering the success of Thor & Captain America this year and the future success of the Avengers, FOX should recant their decision to reboot and pay big bucks to bring back Chris Evans.

The FF movies were fine overall, no need to reboot it.

They also need to include H.E.R.B.I.E. too (I can hear the groans, but look at this way. The kids will love him. It will increase sales for the movie and its products which is good for business.)

[Gamma Goliath]

i doubt evans would even do another F4

[bubbadoom]

Isn't Evans still under contract for a third one?

[Rac]

Fox wouldn't do a third one. It'll be a reboot, whoever does it.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Evans is too old at this point and I don't really see any reason to keep anything from the old films.

Seeing the Avengers trailer really got me hoping something would happen on the FF front, but I still strongly believe that every day we don't hear anything from Fox just brings us that much closer to the day Marvel will announce they have the rights back.

[DrCosmic]

in the comics ben reed and victor are late 30s to early 40s. now if you want to go a bit younger and have them early 30s don't see why not.

What comics are these?

Grey temples in late 30s? early 30s????

[Jordacar]

Hey, my dad was bald by 40

[Vaportrail]

You best buy some Rogaine, son.

[Raiden]

Is Fox really going forward with FF reboot? I haven't heard anything about it.

[marcvader]

What comics are these?

Grey temples in late 30s? early 30s????

I've always imagined Reed being in his 40's but 30's is alright I guess. It's not uncommon to have lots of grays un their 30''s. I started graying in my teens actually.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I remember reading in the early issues that Reed wasn't as old as his gray temples made him appear.

[bubbadoom]

Remember Reed served in WWII which was almost 20 years before FF#1, so that makes him at least late 30'/early 40's in the first issues of FF.

[DrCosmic]

^Which sounds about right to me. He doesn't need to be 50, but early 30s kinda misses the point of his character. He's established. He's already been through a marriage (edit: my bad, an engagement, see Alyssa Moy) and a whole professional career and is personally spearheading a spaceprogram. He's much more like Downey Jr's Tony Stark as far as what point he's at in his life than, say, Christian Bale's Batman.

Plus I like the age disparity between Reed and Sue, and I don't think that should be handwaved away. It provides interesting story fodder and resonates with a lot of the second marraiges we see today.

[Brian2887]

Mr. Fantastic - Chris Messina (Away We Go, Devil)
http://i2.cdnds.net/11/05/ustv_chris_messina.jpg

Invisible Woman - Alice Eve (She's Out Of My League, Entourage)
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/alice-eve.jpg

Human Torch - Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song, Knowing)
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/port/376/l/liam-hemsworth-wi04.jpg

The Thing - Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Ghost Writer)
http://thewalkingdeadpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/JonBernthal_WalkingDead_Banner.jpg

Dr. Doom - Matthew Macfadyen (Robin Hood, Frost/Nixon)
http://bestof.provocateuse.com/images/photos/matthew_macfadyen_98.jpg

[spideyboy_1111]

Mr. Fantastic - Chris Messina (Away We Go, Devil)
http://i2.cdnds.net/11/05/ustv_chris_messina.jpg

Invisible Woman - Alice Eve (She's Out Of My League, Entourage)
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/alice-eve.jpg

Human Torch - Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song, Knowing)
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/port/376/l/liam-hemsworth-wi04.jpg

The Thing - Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Ghost Writer)
http://thewalkingdeadpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/JonBernthal_WalkingDead_Banner.jpg

Dr. Doom - Matthew Macfadyen (Robin Hood, Frost/Nixon)
http://bestof.provocateuse.com/images/photos/matthew_macfadyen_98.jpg

really nice casting job

[Brian2887]

Thanks, man.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I don't know the actors well enough to comment on their personalities, but just from the photos, they look perfect physically.

[Jordacar]

It think your picks for Reed and Ben look a bit too similar. Not that it would really be an issue when Ben becomes the Thing...

[BruceWanner]

Grey temples in late 30s? early 30s????

It happens.

Exhibit A:

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1499/youngsteve.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/youngsteve.jpg/)

[BruceWanner]

The Thing - Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Ghost Writer)
http://thewalkingdeadpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/JonBernthal_WalkingDead_Banner.jpg

:up:

[Jordacar]

Duncan Jones should direct. That is all

[bubbadoom]

.... any news .... any body .... ?

[marcvader]

The F4 production is in the negative zone.

[Brian2887]

Duncan Jones should direct. That is all

Hell. Yes.

[spideyboy_1111]

.... any news .... any body .... ?

The F4 production is in the negative zone.

that's cuz it's not happening :)

[bubbadoom]

that's cuz it's not happening :)

Let's hope this is true - the longer we have no news from Fox means the more likely it will return to Marvel...

[BigThor]

What do you guys think about this guy appearing in the Fantastic Four reboot?

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o231/jokerjester_campos/Blog%20Post%20Pics/SilverSurfer.jpg

Who do you want to be used for the Silver Surfer's body, do you want Doug Jones to return or someone completely new?

I wouldn't mind Doug returning but I want Surfer to have a slightly "sturdier" build this time, I also think they should go with the classic "snowboard" design for his board instead of the one used in FF4: ROTAA

[bubbadoom]

A "reboot" is going to be bad enough with out bringing back already established characters like the Surfer and Doom - I say leave them both out of at least the first one.

As to the Surfers bulk, while I love what D. Jones did with him, I would not be opposed to someone with a little more of a build - again, look to the classic Kirby Surfer and you can not go wrong!

[Raiden]

Let's hope this is true - the longer we have no news from Fox means the more likely it will return to Marvel...

I really hope we're getting some confirmation from FOX, either they're hiring director & actors for the movie, or they're going to let it lapse and Marvel will get it back to add to their MCU.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I really hope we're getting some confirmation from FOX, either they're hiring director & actors for the movie, or they're going to let it lapse and Marvel will get it back to add to their MCU.

I think the latter is the only reasonable explanation for the complete silence. If they really were gearing up for production, they wouldn't keep it so quiet. They'd be making small announcements to take advantage of people like us who would talk and generate buzz and interest if we had even the smallest tidbit to discuss.

[The Overlord]

So should Doom be the villain again or should they go with someone else? I think some of the other villains, like Wizard or Mole Man, would need a revamp before they can work on the Silver Screen.

[BigThor]

A "reboot" is going to be bad enough with out bringing back already established characters like the Surfer and Doom - I say leave them both out of at least the first one.

I wasn't talking about him being in the first film per say, I was meant whenever he appears in the franchise (2nd or 3rd film).

As to the Surfers bulk, while I love what D. Jones did with him, I would not be opposed to someone with a little more of a build - again, look to the classic Kirby Surfer and you can not go wrong!

I agreed, so what do you think about his board design?

[Raiden]

I think the latter is the only reasonable explanation for the complete silence. If they really were gearing up for production, they wouldn't keep it so quiet. They'd be making small announcements to take advantage of people like us who would talk and generate buzz and interest if we had even the smallest tidbit to discuss.

I hope so. Maybe they realized that they cannot reboot both DD and FF, and they can only keep one, so they decided to reboot DD and let Marvel have FF back, albeit discreetly. With their intention of making The Wolverine and a sequel of FC, and maybe even a spinoff of Deadpool, I really can't see how they can have the time & resources to reboot both of these franchises.

So should Doom be the villain again or should they go with someone else? I think some of the other villains, like Wizard or Mole Man, would need a revamp before they can work on the Silver Screen.

I still like Doom, but I think they should build him up like Sherlock Holmes did with Moriarty, and go with a new villain in the first movie. Doom can finally reveal himself and become the prime villain in the sequel.

[bubbadoom]

I wasn't talking about him being in the first film per say, I was meant whenever he appears in the franchise (2nd or 3rd film).



I agreed, so what do you think about his board design?

I was okay with his board, I even recall seeing some concept art where it was not an actually board but a comet like mass of energy that resemble a surf board - and I thought that was an interesting approach. However, if we are going to give him a Kirby physique then you might as well go for the Kirby Board as well.

[bubbadoom]

So should Doom be the villain again or should they go with someone else? I think some of the other villains, like Wizard or Mole Man, would need a revamp before they can work on the Silver Screen.

Some one else.

Well of course visually the Wizard would work perfectly on screen as is - the body armor would look great and the purple and maroon colors would too. His gimmicks of anit-gravity powers and the wonder gloves plus any of his scientific gadgets would provide for some cool action sequences and visuals. His motivations and back story can be tweaked as needed - again, something that should not be to hard for any screen writer. Cast Gary Oldman in the part and you have a winner!

[BigThor]

I was okay with his board, I even recall seeing some concept art where it was not an actually board but a comet like mass of energy that resemble a surf board - and I thought that was an interesting approach. However, if we are going to give him a Kirby physique then you might as well go for the Kirby Board as well.

Eh, well I'm glad that decided to go with the actual board than the "mass of energy" thing.

I wish we got to see Surfer more in battles in FF4:ROTSS, I was hoping he would actually engage win a fulll battle with Doom as well as the FF4 when they first met.

[bubbadoom]

Both FF movies were a little light on the action and use of powers by most of the characters [how many times does Reed even stretch?] - I think the Surfer throws one burst of energy at Doom and that's about it - we need to see the power cosmic fully unleashed!

[The Overlord]

Some one else.

Well of course visually the Wizard would work perfectly on screen as is - the body armor would look great and the purple and maroon colors would too. His gimmicks of anit-gravity powers and the wonder gloves plus any of his scientific gadgets would provide for some cool action sequences and visuals. His motivations and back story can be tweaked as needed - again, something that should not be to hard for any screen writer. Cast Gary Oldman in the part and you have a winner!

I always thought Wizard's costume was completely lame, frankly. It looks to me like pink body armor and pink phalliac helmet. I doubt most fans would rate Wizard's costume as one of the best in comics.

I think the problem with Wizard is, how much should they change him? I would think a lot of work is needed, because the comics Wizard is not very compelling. Wizard's don't make a whole of lot sense, his motives make seem pathetic rather then sympathetic or scary. He really comes across as an extremely poor man's Dr. Doom. He is supposed to a genius and yet his first appearance Susan and Johnny Storm made him look like a fool, which frankly undercuts his supposed intelligence. His gimmicks aren't very impressive either, Beetle can fly and shoot laser beams, how is Wizard more formidable then him? One fire ball or punch from the Thing or one of Sue's force fields would take him out right away.

He just comes off as a one dimensional character who is not a very threatening villain. Sure Wizard was kinda interesting lately when he had a mental break down, but they still haven't explained why this mental break down come about and other writers seem to have ignored it, so to adapt it to a movie would take a lot of filling in the holes. He's not Reed's IQ league, so he doesn't come off as intellectual threat at all to the FF. Wizard would need to be changed a lot to work on Silver Screen, similar to how Whiplash or Sebastian Shaw were changed.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I think Doom could be done in a re-boot and be nearly unrecognizable. The thing with the Surfer is he was done reasonably well in the second film and also, even though Galactus was completely screwed up, if you feature Surfer/Galactus you basically have to do a variation of the idea of him coming to eat the planet. Even though it could be done much better, I think it's harder to use Surfer/Galactus in a re-boot without re-treading ground that has already been covered than it would be with Doom.

[BigThor]

Both FF movies were a little light on the action and use of powers by most of the characters [how many times does Reed even stretch?] - I think the Surfer throws one burst of energy at Doom and that's about it - we need to see the power cosmic fully unleashed!

EXACTLY!!!

I hated the fact that Doom used Surfer's power even more than Surfer himself, I also noticed that Human Torch rarely did anything more than fly around and shoot "weak" fire balls.

I think Doom could be done in a re-boot and be nearly unrecognizable. The thing with the Surfer is he was done reasonably well in the second film and also, even though Galactus was completely screwed up, if you feature Surfer/Galactus you basically have to do a variation of the idea of him coming to eat the planet. Even though it could be done much better, I think it's harder to use Surfer/Galactus in a re-boot without re-treading ground that has already been covered than it would be with Doom.

Very true

Although they could change it up so that SS come's to Earth to make a deal with the FF4, if they help save a dying Galactus (by finding parts to a cosmic device) then their world will be spared for a certain amount of time.

[DrCosmic]

I think there's a lot to cover for the Fantastic Four, as far as ally-enemy combinations.

Moleman, The Frightful Four
Blackbolt, Maximus, Crystal, Medusa and the Inhumans
SuperSkrull, Lyja Lightfoot and the Skrull Invasion
Ronan The Accuser and the Kree Empire
Namor, Namorita and Atlantis

I really don't see any reason whatsoever to do Silver Surfer/Galactus again. There are plenty other world enders.

He just comes off as a one dimensional character who is not a very threatening villain. Sure Wizard was kinda interesting lately when he had a mental break down, but they still haven't explained why this mental break down come about and other writers seem to have ignored it, so to adapt it to a movie would take a lot of filling in the holes. He's not Reed's IQ league, so he doesn't come off as intellectual threat at all to the FF. Wizard would need to be changed a lot to work on Silver Screen, similar to how Whiplash or Sebastian Shaw were changed.

Which is why he makes such a great villain for a film. He can be overhauled to fit the type of story you're trying to tell that will be serve the main characters. For a character like Doom or Galactus, the story kinda needs to serve them because there is a lot to explain, making for a movie that's harder to write and either leaves the villain or the heroes underdeveloped. He works as someone who's in Reed's league intellectually, can play front man for a partnership with Mole Man, and his costume has already been overhauled into something decidedly un-pink and un-phallic. You can send up the old pink costume in the same way Transformers sent up the old VW Bumblebee, if you like.

[BigThor]

I think there's a lot to cover for the Fantastic Four, as far as ally-enemy combinations.

Moleman, The Frightful Four
Blackbolt, Maximus, Crystal, Medusa and the Inhumans
SuperSkrull, Lyja Lightfoot and the Skrull Invasion
Ronan The Accuser and the Kree Empire
Namor, Namorita and Atlantis

I really don't see any reason whatsoever to do Silver Surfer/Galactus again. There are plenty other world enders.

You have a very good point, I just wanted see Surfer again on the big screen as soon as possible (he's my 4th favorite Marvel character).

I don't think we're gonna see the Inhumans in this franchise because Marvel Studios is planning an Inhumans film.

[Gamma Goliath]

I don't think we're gonna see the Inhumans in this franchise because Marvel Studios is planning an Inhumans film.

Which is why I hope marvel gets f4 back soon.

[BigThor]

Which is why I hope marvel gets f4 back soon.

Hell yeah, the Fantastic Four and their characters are #1 (in terms of importance) on the list of properties that Marvel Studios needs the rights to.

You can't have a complete Marvel Universe without Fantastic Four, Galactus & his heralds, and Dr. Doom.

[jaymes_e06]

Marvel def needs this property back Fox wouldn't know what to do with this title if the spirit of the time Stan Lee created them jumped into a random writer and wrote itself. They aren't right for it at all. I'd love to see an even more expanded Universe for Marvel where they can show up as cameos in eachothers films. Adding FF to the game would only complete the circle that much more.

[BigThor]

Marvel def needs this property back Fox wouldn't know what to do with this title if the spirit of the time Stan Lee created them jumped into a random writer and wrote itself. They aren't right for it at all. I'd love to see an even more expanded Universe for Marvel where they can show up as cameos in eachothers films. Adding FF to the game would only complete the circle that much more.

Agreed :up:

[Gamma Goliath]

imagine reed richards referring to tony stark or bruce banner, or vice versa. it gives me chill just thinking about it.

[BigThor]

imagine reed richards referring to tony stark or bruce banner, or vice versa. it gives me chill just thinking about it.

I know, now imagine The Thing and Hulk wanting to see who's the strongest whenever they're around each other.

[jaymes_e06]

^So epic! That would be sick.

[Raiden]

Marvel def needs this property back Fox wouldn't know what to do with this title if the spirit of the time Stan Lee created them jumped into a random writer and wrote itself. They aren't right for it at all. I'd love to see an even more expanded Universe for Marvel where they can show up as cameos in eachothers films. Adding FF to the game would only complete the circle that much more.

I agree. FF is practically made for the MCU, since so many of their characters are connected to other universes, and because Marvel wants to expand to intergalactic superheroes FF is the perfect franchise to jumpstart other properties like The Inhumans and even Guardians of the Galaxy. Right now, I don't really care if FOX keeps X-Men and DD (even though I still want them to revert back to Marvel), but FF absolutely must become part of Marvel Studios, and soon.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I know, now imagine The Thing and Hulk wanting to see who's the strongest whenever they're around each other.

If I could have one single wish for one scene I'd like to eventually see on the big-screen it would be a Thing/Hulk battle.

[Franklin Richards]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/AuntPetunia/Fantastic%20Four/9992ed1.gif


:thing: :thing: :thing:

[BigThor]

If I could have one single wish for one scene I'd like to eventually see on the big-screen it would be a Thing/Hulk battle.

These are the top 5 fights I would like to see on the big screen

1. Thor vs Bor (his grandfather)

2. Odin vs Surtur

3. Thor vs Silver Surfer

4. Hulk vs Thing

5. Iron Man vs Dr. Doom


"Superman vs Darksied get's "Honorable mention"

[GoblinScrier]

All I am dying to see is Latveria done like the comics with an almost Frankestein feel to the country...a medieval castle with 1000s of Doombots marching throughout...and in the center of it all, a throne room with a menacing of epic proportions Dr. Doom...watching his view screen, and one word on his breath...RICHARDS!!!!

[Franklin Richards]

I prefer to think of him in the drawing room, standing next to the fire with a goblet. His mother's painting dominating the room.


:D


:doom: :doom: :doom:

[GoblinScrier]

I will take that image too FR...faithful to the origin, to the mythos of Doom...then in my opinion, the film will already be a success regardless of box office but how can the movie fail with a PROPER Dr. Doom...its what I have been waiting for and to have a PROPER Loki and Red Skull, then Doom is the next one to have his chance at getting done right cinematically



I prefer to think of him in the drawing room, standing next to the fire with a goblet. His mother's painting dominating the room.


:D


:doom: :doom: :doom:

[Kirmit]

These are the top 5 fights I would like to see on the big screen

1. Thor vs Bor (his grandfather)

2. Odin vs Surtur

3. Thor vs Silver Surfer

4. Hulk vs Thing

5. Iron Man vs Dr. Doom


"Superman vs Darksied get's "Honorable mention"

No Hulk vs Thor? :woot:.

On another note, I'm just watching the first FF movie now and the one thing I notice is how perfect the human torch was, even though they got alot wrong IMO this is one area they succeeded.

[BigThor]

No Hulk vs Thor? :woot:.

I didn't mention this fight because it's guaranteed that we're gonna get one in The Avengers, although it seems like it's going to be more of The Avengers vs Hulk than a one one fight. :csad:

On another note, I'm just watching the first FF movie now and the one thing I notice is how perfect the human torch was, even though they got alot wrong IMO this is one area they succeeded.


Chris Evans was a great Human Torch indeed, I just wished that they showed him projecting fire in a more elaborate manner than "fire balls" (I would've like to see him release fire in a "flame thrower" style).

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

No Hulk vs Thor? :woot:.

On another note, I'm just watching the first FF movie now and the one thing I notice is how perfect the human torch was, even though they got alot wrong IMO this is one area they succeeded.

You watching it on E4 also?

Yeah I would say the characterisation of The Human Torch and The Thing was spot, HT got the execution correct as well though, Thing should have been CGI.

[Dark Raven]

How long left until Fox's rights with FF expire? You'd think it would be running out pretty soon. It's almost the end of 2011.

[Raiden]

Chris Evans was a great Human Torch indeed, I just wished that they showed him projecting fire in a more elaborate manner than "fire balls" (I would've like to see him release fire in a "flame thrower" style).

It looks like Ghost Rider will be doing alot of creative things with fire in GR2, something that Human Torch should have done.

[BigThor]

It looks like Ghost Rider will be doing alot of creative things with fire in GR2, something that Human Torch should have done.

True, I hope Ghost Rider projects fire from his hands at some point in GR2 and I would also like to see him raise hellfire from the ground like in GR1 except in a more destructive manner.

It's a shame that GR is doing more creative things with fire on film than Torch, because when I think of fire based superheroes Torch is the first person I think of.

[The Overlord]

I think there's a lot to cover for the Fantastic Four, as far as ally-enemy combinations.

Moleman, The Frightful Four
Blackbolt, Maximus, Crystal, Medusa and the Inhumans
SuperSkrull, Lyja Lightfoot and the Skrull Invasion
Ronan The Accuser and the Kree Empire
Namor, Namorita and Atlantis

I really don't see any reason whatsoever to do Silver Surfer/Galactus again. There are plenty other world enders.



Which is why he makes such a great villain for a film. He can be overhauled to fit the type of story you're trying to tell that will be serve the main characters. For a character like Doom or Galactus, the story kinda needs to serve them because there is a lot to explain, making for a movie that's harder to write and either leaves the villain or the heroes underdeveloped. He works as someone who's in Reed's league intellectually, can play front man for a partnership with Mole Man, and his costume has already been overhauled into something decidedly un-pink and un-phallic. You can send up the old pink costume in the same way Transformers sent up the old VW Bumblebee, if you like.

Sure, but there has be something that makes him compelling, so he can effective, interesting villain. In the film would Wizard be a sympathetic villain or an extremely creepy and sinister villain or something else? Considering Reed is supposed to be the smartest person in the world, how would Wizard pose an intellectual threat? How should Wizard be portrayed on film? Until very recently Wizard was not menacing and was pretty one dimensional. I think he would at least need a better motive for his villainy in the films, I always felt his motive in the comics was very weak.

[BigThor]

All I am dying to see is Latveria done like the comics with an almost Frankestein feel to the country...a medieval castle with 1000s of Doombots marching throughout...and in the center of it all, a throne room with a menacing of epic proportions Dr. Doom...watching his view screen, and one word on his breath...RICHARDS!!!!

Hell yeah :woot:

[OptimusPrime114]

After a long time of thinking, I've finally come up with a good casting call:

MATTHEW MORRISON AS REED RICHARDS/MR. FANTASTIC

http://fabulousbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/matthew-morrison_prphotos.jpg

CLAIRE DANES AS SUSAN STORM/INVISIBLE WOMAN

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/cm/harpersbazaar/images/HBZ-claire-danes.jpg

HUNTER PARRISH AS JOHNNY STORM/HUMAN TORCH

http://webservice.mymovies.dk/Photos/5d82e4c3-7162-468f-812f-64e43db4fb5e.jpg

JEREMY SISTO AS BEN GRIMM/THE THING

http://www.seriessub.com/series/actors/285082.jpg

[marcvader]

Good cast

[BigThor]

That's a great cast Optimus, it's probably one of the best ones I've seen.

[OptimusPrime114]

Why, thank you!

[BigThor]

Anytime

[marcvader]

We should start a colorful sigs club

[BigThor]

We should start a colorful sigs club

Hahaha we really should :woot:

[BruceWanner]

After a long time of thinking, I've finally come up with a good casting call:

MATTHEW MORRISON AS REED RICHARDS/MR. FANTASTIC

http://fabulousbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/matthew-morrison_prphotos.jpg

CLAIRE DANES AS SUSAN STORM/INVISIBLE WOMAN

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/cm/harpersbazaar/images/HBZ-claire-danes.jpg

HUNTER PARRISH AS JOHNNY STORM/HUMAN TORCH

http://webservice.mymovies.dk/Photos/5d82e4c3-7162-468f-812f-64e43db4fb5e.jpg

JEREMY SISTO AS BEN GRIMM/THE THING

http://www.seriessub.com/series/actors/285082.jpg
I like every casting choice except Morrison.

[DrCosmic]

Sure, but there has be something that makes him compelling, so he can effective, interesting villain. In the film would Wizard be a sympathetic villain or an extremely creepy and sinister villain or something else? Considering Reed is supposed to be the smartest person in the world, how would Wizard pose an intellectual threat? How should Wizard be portrayed on film? Until very recently Wizard was not menacing and was pretty one dimensional. I think he would at least need a better motive for his villainy in the films, I always felt his motive in the comics was very weak.

Well, what I'm saying is, with Wizard, we can approach the problem backwards. What kind of story are we trying to tell? For instance, If Reed is supposed to be someone who doesn't 'believe' in himself fully, then Wizard can be a character who represents intellectual superiority, who is every bit as intelligent as Reed and uses technology to better humanity, but perhaps without the care for humanity. He's what Reed would/could be without his friends and family. That's how I would do it, myself. Alternately, if the story we want to tell has Reed has become haughty or preoccupied, perhaps Wizard is more of a wheeler and dealer low level science businessman who uses Reed until Reed figures out what's important. What makes him compelling is dependent upon what would make the movie best, as opposed to having a character that needs the movie to serve them, we have a character that can serve the movie. Think the difference between Ra's Al Ghul in the comics and Ra's Al Ghul in the movies, and that's the kind of difference I'm talking about from the comics.

Depending on the story you're telling, you decide if Reed is the smartest person on the planet, and how many intellectual rivals he has if any. Is Doom no match for him? Is Wizard no match for him? That's up to the screenwriter, not the Marvel Universe Handbook.

[bubbadoom]

I am all for a compelling motivation for the villain in question, and the above one for the Wizard could work as well as any other.

But how much difference does any given motive really make? How much screen time was given to Whiplashe's motive in IM2, or Doc Ock's in SM2, in relation to the entire movie? If Whip's pop had not died at the beginning - if he was just an employee of Hammer's who went rogue - would it really have made that much difference in the overall film?

I am not suggesting that these villains should not be as fleshed out as well as possible, but I am suggesting that any screen writer worth his salt should be able to take someone like the Wizard and his Frightful foursome and turn them into fearsome formidable foes for the Fantastic Four.

[The Overlord]

I am all for a compelling motivation for the villain in question, and the above one for the Wizard could work as well as any other.

But how much difference does any given motive really make? How much screen time was given to Whiplashe's motive in IM2, or Doc Ock's in SM2, in relation to the entire movie? If Whip's pop had not died at the beginning - if he was just an employee of Hammer's who went rogue - would it really have made that much difference in the overall film?

I am not suggesting that these villains should not be as fleshed out as well as possible, but I am suggesting that any screen writer worth his salt should be able to take someone like the Wizard and his Frightful foursome and turn them into fearsome formidable foes for the Fantastic Four.

Wasn't Joker's motive important in the Dark Knight? Wasn't Magneto's motives an important part of the X-Men films? Wasn't Ra's Al Ghul motives the main driving force behind the plot in batman Begins? Heck didn't Dr. Octopus' motives play an important part in the climax of Spider-Man 2, where he decided to sacrifice his life? A villain's motives can be very important in a film. Whiplash's back story made him an interesting contrast to Tony stark, having him as an Hammer Employee who goes rogue for no good reason makes him a far more shallow character and if that's the case why should I care about the conflict between them? How often has a film been better because the villain had no good motive and was a one dimensional character?

Let's look at Sebastian Shaw in X-Men first class, he was the villain in the film, however the film was not centered around him, but he still had an important role to play. Would X-Men First Class have been the same movie if they didn't include that scene where Shaw executed Magneto's mom? That both serves to develop Magneto's motives and establishes Shaw as a truly evil villain.

That's what Wizard to carry a movie, a scene or two that makes him compelling and establishes to the audience what kind of person he truly is. Is Wizard supposed to an evil twisted villain the audience is supposed to hate and commits terrifying acts or is he supposed to be a villain with a sympathetic side who commits evils in the service of greater good and the audience can see were he is coming from? Does he have a personal connection to the FF and if he doesn't, what makes him a compelling enemy?

The problem is the comics, for most his career, Wizard has just a super villain cliche, with a very shallow reason for being a villain in the first place, he wasn't sympathetic, but nothing about made him seem truly evil or threatening. There was nothing to his character beyond "Mwa, ha, ha, now I will use this device to destroy the FF, because I am evil and hate them for no good reason!" If he supposed to be evil, have him do something that actually is evil.

Frankly I always thought the Frightful Four was a rather a lame concept. Wizard assembles a group of street level villains and expects them to defeat the FF, despite the fact are superior in terms of brains, power and team work and Wizard doesn't even try to go for an numbers advantage? Why not form a Frightful Fourteen or least stop putting Trapster on the team? How Trapster work on screen, why would a guy with a glue gun be a threat to a super genius, someone who can summon force fields at will, a guy who can create super novas and one of the strongest beings on the planet. Frankly a guy with a normal gun would be more menacing then Trapster, bullets are generally faster then paste. The movie Frightful Four would at least need a more powerful line then what they usually have to be a believable threat to the audience.

[DrCosmic]

Wasn't Joker's motive important in the Dark Knight? Wasn't Magneto's motives an important part of the X-Men films? Wasn't Ra's Al Ghul motives the main driving force behind the plot in batman Begins? Heck didn't Dr. Octopus' motives play an important part in the climax of Spider-Man 2, where he decided to sacrifice his life? A villain's motives can be very important in a film. Whiplash's back story made him an interesting contrast to Tony stark, having him as an Hammer Employee who goes rogue for no good reason makes him a far more shallow character and if that's the case why should I care about the conflict between them? How often has a film been better because the villain had no good motive and was a one dimensional character?

Let's look at Sebastian Shaw in X-Men first class, he was the villain in the film, however the film was not centered around him, but he still had an important role to play. Would X-Men First Class have been the same movie if they didn't include that scene where Shaw executed Magneto's mom? That both serves to develop Magneto's motives and establishes Shaw as a truly evil villain.

The Dark Knight was a better movie for not giving the Joker's motivation. Iron Man 2 was a better movie for not giving Hammer an extensive backstory. Not all villains need some sort of defining tragedy, it all depends on the type of story you're telling and how you're using them in the conflict. Justifying Shaw's utter evil would have made First Class a worse movie as well.

I'm not saying villain motives aren't importat, I am saying they're not always needed, and not always an improvement.

That's what Wizard to carry a movie, a scene or two that makes him compelling and establishes to the audience what kind of person he truly is. Is Wizard supposed to an evil twisted villain the audience is supposed to hate and commits terrifying acts or is he supposed to be a villain with a sympathetic side who commits evils in the service of greater good and the audience can see were he is coming from? Does he have a personal connection to the FF and if he doesn't, what makes him a compelling enemy?

The problem is the comics, for most his career, Wizard has just a super villain cliche, with a very shallow reason for being a villain in the first place, he wasn't sympathetic, but nothing about made him seem truly evil or threatening. There was nothing to his character beyond "Mwa, ha, ha, now I will use this device to destroy the FF, because I am evil and hate them for no good reason!" If he supposed to be evil, have him do something that actually is evil.

I'm not sure him not having a motivation in the comics is a downside.
Whiplash, Joker, Dr. Doom, all these have pretty thin motivations in the comics. Ra's Al Ghul's motivation in the films is definitely different in the comics. The only person whose ratoinale is intact is Magneto, and in First Class, he was just about revenge.

Movies where comic book motivations are relevant are in the minority. Almost all the good comic book movies have had villains with either little or no motives from the comics, or have changed the motivations from what the comic book versions had.

If I personally were doing it, I would give him a very direct personal connection to Reed, Victor and Mole Man.

Frankly I always thought the Frightful Four was a rather a lame concept. Wizard assembles a group of street level villains and expects them to defeat the FF, despite the fact are superior in terms of brains, power and team work and Wizard doesn't even try to go for an numbers advantage? Why not form a Frightful Fourteen or least stop putting Trapster on the team? How Trapster work on screen, why would a guy with a glue gun be a threat to a super genius, someone who can summon force fields at will, a guy who can create super novas and one of the strongest beings on the planet. Frankly a guy with a normal gun would be more menacing then Trapster, bullets are generally faster then paste. The movie Frightful Four would at least need a more powerful line then what they usually have to be a believable threat to the audience.

I feel you on the Trapster, but all the other members are easily capable of wiping the floor with almost anyone you can name. Even in Trapster's case, he's a lot more effective against the Thing than someone with a normal gun.

I personally wouldn't do the Frightful Four with the Wizard, too much character introduction in a movie that needs to introduce the Four. I would lean more towards Mole Man as the first problem with Wizard as his shadowy backer, with a reveal of Dr. Doom behind him at the end of the film.

[bubbadoom]

I feel you on the Trapster, but all the other members are easily capable of wiping the floor with almost anyone you can name. Even in Trapster's case, he's a lot more effective against the Thing than someone with a normal gun.

I personally wouldn't do the Frightful Four with the Wizard, too much character introduction in a movie that needs to introduce the Four. I would lean more towards Mole Man as the first problem with Wizard as his shadowy backer, with a reveal of Dr. Doom behind him at the end of the film.

I must agree with most of what you have said above.

I do not see why a new FF movie [or "reboot"] need to introduce the FF all over again. They could play it like TIH - give us a quick recap during the opening credits - and hit the ground running. The Bat Man series did not tell his origin until the fifth movie in the series [or the first prequel/reboot] so I see no reason to rehash the FF's this soon.

[DrCosmic]

I must agree with most of what you have said above.

I do not see why a new FF movie [or "reboot"] need to introduce the FF all over again. They could play it like TIH - give us a quick recap during the opening credits - and hit the ground running. The Bat Man series did not tell his origin until the fifth movie in the series [or the first prequel/reboot] so I see no reason to rehash the FF's this soon.

That's true, I don't think TIH did it very well though. Most people, who don't 'get' the superhero already aren't going to 'get' it in some vague pictograms. They might get the events, but they don't get the emotional attachment to the events which makes them care about the film. The goal is to bring the uninitiated into a world where heroes exist. I think the best way to do that, is in a flashback. More successful movies like Batman Begins and the Incredibles used this method, and it works well, imho.

The flashback should be about 5-10 minutes and should cover the time before they gained their abilities. It could be the opening pre-credits sequence, like in Incredibles, and establish Reed, Doom and Wizard as contemporary rivals, show the family at a more innocent time and relationships. So after the credits we can see the tension in the family, and drop all these problems on them with paparazzi and government regulations and Reed's obsession with his work, and etc.

Alternately, we can introduce them in all their glory and then show the audience how everything isn't as great as it seems, and segue from there into the flashbacks, like Batman Begins did. Either way, for people who aren't already FF fans, you need to give them an emotional window into the origin, or else, they disconnect in a way, feeling like the characters are alien to the human experience, or worse, simply just extensions of their powers.

[Franklin Richards]

Here's how ya do it.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/AuntPetunia/Fantastic%20Four/Comic%20Scans/TerrorinaTinyTown1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/AuntPetunia/Fantastic%20Four/Comic%20Scans/TerrorinaTinyTown2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/AuntPetunia/Fantastic%20Four/Comic%20Scans/TerrorinaTinyTown3.jpg


:ff: :ff: :ff:

[Lord]

I would set the film in the 60s and have Mole Man as the villain, with Mad Thinker being a possibility for 2nd villain or for the sequel along with Doctor Doom.
I would foreshadow Doctor Doom but i wouldn't show him or have him conected to the main events

[The Overlord]

The Dark Knight was a better movie for not giving the Joker's motivation. Iron Man 2 was a better movie for not giving Hammer an extensive backstory. Not all villains need some sort of defining tragedy, it all depends on the type of story you're telling and how you're using them in the conflict. Justifying Shaw's utter evil would have made First Class a worse movie as well.

I'm not saying villain motives aren't importat, I am saying they're not always needed, and not always an improvement.

Joker did have a motive in the movies, he has himself as as an agent of chaos and saw Batman as his opposite and found battling him fun. Yeah they didn't give him a long back strong, but they had a interesting personality shine through. Same deal with Shaw. Also Whiplash's back story was pretty important to the Iron Man 2.

The problem is the comics Wizard doesn't have a interesting personality, he doesn't have an interesting goal, he doesn't have a real 3 dimensional personality and he has no real menace to him. So how would he be changed to be an effective on screen villain?



I'm not sure him not having a motivation in the comics is a downside.
Whiplash, Joker, Dr. Doom, all these have pretty thin motivations in the comics. Ra's Al Ghul's motivation in the films is definitely different in the comics. The only person whose ratoinale is intact is Magneto, and in First Class, he was just about revenge.

Movies where comic book motivations are relevant are in the minority. Almost all the good comic book movies have had villains with either little or no motives from the comics, or have changed the motivations from what the comic book versions had.

Movie Red Skull had less of a motive and personality then his comic book counter part and I find him rather lame. Red Skull in the comics is driven by hate and malice in the comics, blaming the world for his own crappy child hood. In the movie, he is a generic power mad megalomaniac who just wants power for power sakes and to me he was really boring, he never did anything really scary in the movie that made seem as evil as he was in the comics. Red Skull being such a boring villain in the movie did make me like the Captain America movie less. To me Captain America was a worse film with Red Skull being a rather generic villain.

I think Doom has a pretty good motive for being screwed up, considering what happened to his parents and I think Joker's motives have made for some great stories, like the Killing Joke.

What Wizard lacks besides a good motive, is an effective personality, in the comics he always, until very recently, came off as a one dimensional villain who was neither noble or menacing. He is just a jerk in the comics, too much of jerk in the comics for the audience to sympathize with him or relate him, but not evil enough to come off as a creepy, sinister villain. So the audience doesn't find him relatable or scary, so what is he in the comics? He's just an annoying jerk with an overblown ego that he can't back up and that comes off as pathetic. He needs a lot of changes before he can work on screen.


If I personally were doing it, I would give him a very direct personal connection to Reed, Victor and Mole Man.

Okay, that could work, but that needs developing.



I feel you on the Trapster, but all the other members are easily capable of wiping the floor with almost anyone you can name. Even in Trapster's case, he's a lot more effective against the Thing than someone with a normal gun.

I personally wouldn't do the Frightful Four with the Wizard, too much character introduction in a movie that needs to introduce the Four. I would lean more towards Mole Man as the first problem with Wizard as his shadowy backer, with a reveal of Dr. Doom behind him at the end of the film.

Johnny, Susan and Reed should be able to defeat Trapster in seconds though. With Trapster being a non threat its 3 against 4, so the FF have a huge advantage in terms of power and numbers at that point. The fanstic Four are superior to the frightful Four in terms of brawn, brains and team work, so I didn't see what advantage the Frightful Four has.

Also Mole Man needs a major revamp before he is ready for the big screen, because a short, fat little man in a green shirt with a stick whining about how he can't get laid isn't a really effective villain. Mole Man's monsters always seemed far more interesting then him, there is nothing about him personally that is very interesting or menacing.

[DrCosmic]

Joker did have a motive in the movies, he has himself as as an agent of chaos and saw Batman as his opposite and found battling him fun. Yeah they didn't give him a long back strong, but they had a interesting personality shine through. Same deal with Shaw. Also Whiplash's back story was pretty important to the Iron Man 2.

The problem is the comics Wizard doesn't have a interesting personality, he doesn't have an interesting goal, he doesn't have a real 3 dimensional personality and he has no real menace to him. So how would he be changed to be an effective on screen villain?

Joker said he was an agent of chaos, but his plan was in no way chaotic, it was timed down to the second to incite a specific reaction. You're right in that his personality made up for that, my point was to illustrate that having no known motive != one dimensional. As such,

Whiplash's Backstory isn't from the comics by any means. If he's an example of something good, I don't understand how you can have any further issues with Wizard's comics persona. It's not like Whiplash had an interesting personality, or capable powerset in the comics, either. In short: if it's not a problem for Whiplash, why is it a problem for Wizard?


Movie Red Skull had less of a motive and personality then his comic book counter part and I find him rather lame. Red Skull in the comics is driven by hate and malice in the comics, blaming the world for his own crappy child hood. In the movie, he is a generic power mad megalomaniac who just wants power for power sakes and to me he was really boring, he never did anything really scary in the movie that made seem as evil as he was in the comics. Red Skull being such a boring villain in the movie did make me like the Captain America movie less. To me Captain America was a worse film with Red Skull being a rather generic villain.

I think Doom has a pretty good motive for being screwed up, considering what happened to his parents and I think Joker's motives have made for some great stories, like the Killing Joke.

What Wizard lacks besides a good motive, is an effective personality, in the comics he always, until very recently, came off as a one dimensional villain who was neither noble or menacing. He is just a jerk in the comics, too much of jerk in the comics for the audience to sympathize with him or relate him, but not evil enough to come off as a creepy, sinister villain. So the audience doesn't find him relatable or scary, so what is he in the comics? He's just an annoying jerk with an overblown ego that he can't back up and that comes off as pathetic. He needs a lot of changes before he can work on screen.

Again, same with Whiplash. No one is arguing that Wizard is not weak in comics, but you seem to also be indicating that this makes him unsuitable as a movie villain, and you haven't established that in any way that I can decipher. I'm guessing you're working from the assumption that a movie version would resemble the comics version, and I'm trying to provide you with examples as to why this is not so.

Perhaps I'm going about this wrong. I'll ask this instead: "Why do you think that the weaknesses in Wizard's comic book persona are a problem?"

Okay, that could work, but that needs developing.

I agree. I don't really feel like developing a full movie treatment right now. But you do see that it can be done, even by an amateur like me?

Johnny, Susan and Reed should be able to defeat Trapster in seconds though. With Trapster being a non threat its 3 against 4, so the FF have a huge advantage in terms of power and numbers at that point. The fanstic Four are superior to the frightful Four in terms of brawn, brains and team work, so I didn't see what advantage the Frightful Four has.

Having Johnny Sue or Reed attack Trapster instead of the Frightful member attacking them assumes that the Fantastic Four control the battle. Typically when villains attack this isn't so. Villains usually have situational advantages such as dirty tricks, hostages, ambushes and so on. If this wasn't true, then the vast majority of arch nemeses, from the Joker to Lex Luthor to the Frightful Four, could never pose any threat to the heroes who are routinely superior in combat.

Edit: This is what makes these low powered characters interesting, that they are mentally equal or superior to the heroes. This is part of the reason why the FF is so limited nowadays. By making Reed the unqualified intellectual superior of everyone but Dr. Doom and some heroes, there's no longer anyone low powered or terrestrial who can pose a threat to him. With a Reed who thoroughly outclasses everyone else, how can anyone except Dr. Doom or Galactus pose any threat at all for more than five minutes? I think for a movie story to be effective, Reed has to have equals mentally other than Dr. Doom. There's no need to port over the comic book ego stroking one liners that end up writing themselves into a corner.

Also Mole Man needs a major revamp before he is ready for the big screen, because a short, fat little man in a green shirt with a stick whining about how he can't get laid isn't a really effective villain. Mole Man's monsters always seemed far more interesting then him, there is nothing about him personally that is very interesting or menacing.

Well, that's pretty fun and easy. Make Mole Man a monster. The Ultimate Comics did a really good rendition of him. Visually, the monsters should be more interesting. He's supposed to be pitiable while also being reprehensible, which is what makes him disturbing. He's a desperate stalker, too scared and self loathing to be a serial rapist who got his hand on a super weapon. In the four color world, you see what that looks like, but in our world, a costumer is going to make a costume that accentuates the story instead of copy pasting what we see in comics. He doesn't need a major revamp, he needs a couple vile habits and a costume that looks like he's been underground.

Think Penguin, instead of trying to turn him into some sort of badass powerhouse.

[The Overlord]

Joker said he was an agent of chaos, but his plan was in no way chaotic, it was timed down to the second to incite a specific reaction. You're right in that his personality made up for that, my point was to illustrate that having no known motive != one dimensional. As such,

But he does have motive, he may lack back story, but he has an interesting motive.

Red Skull in the comics who was motivated by hate is far more interesting then film Red Skull who is a generic power hungry villain, the Skull's motives are very important to the character.

Look at Doom, compared movie Doom's character and motives to that of the Doom from the comics and tell which one is better. Doom's motives and personality are very important to the character.


Whiplash's Backstory isn't from the comics by any means. If he's an example of something good, I don't understand how you can have any further issues with Wizard's comics persona. It's not like Whiplash had an interesting personality, or capable powerset in the comics, either. In short: if it's not a problem for Whiplash, why is it a problem for Wizard?

Nothing I suppose, but that's not my argument, sure you can change Wizard to make him work on screen, but there are far more interesting FF villains to work with who don't need as much work then Wizard does.



Again, same with Whiplash. No one is arguing that Wizard is not weak in comics, but you seem to also be indicating that this makes him unsuitable as a movie villain, and you haven't established that in any way that I can decipher. I'm guessing you're working from the assumption that a movie version would resemble the comics version, and I'm trying to provide you with examples as to why this is not so.

Perhaps I'm going about this wrong. I'll ask this instead: "Why do you think that the weaknesses in Wizard's comic book persona are a problem?"

Simple I did not care for the character that much and I would rather see someone else. Heck we haven't even had a proper version of Doom or Galactus on screen. In terms of on screen villains, I would much prefer Mad thinker to Wizard, Mad thinker is a little more interesting. I just don't think Wizard's whole gimmick is very unique, I think Mad thinker comes across better in terms of a more dynamic gimmick and is a better developed character in the comics.



I agree. I don't really feel like developing a full movie treatment right now. But you do see that it can be done, even by an amateur like me?

Sure, I still don't care for the character or don't think there are better options to use then him.



Having Johnny Sue or Reed attack Trapster instead of the Frightful member attacking them assumes that the Fantastic Four control the battle. Typically when villains attack this isn't so. Villains usually have situational advantages such as dirty tricks, hostages, ambushes and so on. If this wasn't true, then the vast majority of arch nemeses, from the Joker to Lex Luthor to the Frightful Four, could never pose any threat to the heroes who are routinely superior in combat.


Edit: This is what makes these low powered characters interesting, that they are mentally equal or superior to the heroes. This is part of the reason why the FF is so limited nowadays. By making Reed the unqualified intellectual superior of everyone but Dr. Doom and some heroes, there's no longer anyone low powered or terrestrial who can pose a threat to him. With a Reed who thoroughly outclasses everyone else, how can anyone except Dr. Doom or Galactus pose any threat at all for more than five minutes? I think for a movie story to be effective, Reed has to have equals mentally other than Dr. Doom. There's no need to port over the comic book ego stroking one liners that end up writing themselves into a corner.

When has Wizard ever been Reed's equal? In his first appearance Wizard was outsmarted by Susan and Johnny, how he is supposed to be Reed's league? Wizard has almost always been a character that talks about how smart he is, instead of actually doing smart things.

Also the Frightful Four just isn't that interesting of a super villain group, when the Sinister Six attacks Spidey there is some drama, because he is outnumbered, you don't have that with the Frightful Four. A Frightful Fourteen would be far more menacing. The element of surprise is the only thing the Frightful Four have going for them and even then its not enough to overcome the fact the FF are superior in terms of power, brains and team work, so they can adapt to a surprise attack far quicker then the frightful four could and as soon as that advantage is gone. Having only four members and wasting one of the memberships on Trapster really doesn't make the Frightful Four seem threatening at all.



Well, that's pretty fun and easy. Make Mole Man a monster. The Ultimate Comics did a really good rendition of him. Visually, the monsters should be more interesting. He's supposed to be pitiable while also being reprehensible, which is what makes him disturbing. He's a desperate stalker, too scared and self loathing to be a serial rapist who got his hand on a super weapon. In the four color world, you see what that looks like, but in our world, a costumer is going to make a costume that accentuates the story instead of copy pasting what we see in comics. He doesn't need a major revamp, he needs a couple vile habits and a costume that looks like he's been underground.

Think Penguin, instead of trying to turn him into some sort of badass powerhouse.

Monsterous in terms of just appearance or personality as well? Would he be a truly evil monster with no sympathetic qualities what so ever or something else? Monstrousness has far more to do personality then it does with appearance.

However taking cues from Ultimate Mole Man would be a step in the right direction.

[bubbadoom]

If you use the classic Frightful Four story from FF 41-43 as a spring board for a movie, then most of The Overlords problems are addressed. The evil FF overpower the Thing while he is away from the FF and brain wash him, then when the rest of the team come to his aid, it's 5 against 3 and the sheer shock of Ben raising his hand against them turns the tide of the battle.

The Wizard's motives can be as easily revamped as Whiplash's was for IM2 - and when you really get down to it the motive he had was not that important. Sure he thought Stark's pop screwed his dad, but if Fury is to be believed, he brought most of his problems upon himself. And while I am fine with that little bit of back story, if you remove the five or six minutes of screen time devoted to it you still have pretty much the exact same movie. I personally would not tie EVERY villain's back story into that of our hero's - as that is becoming an overused cliche in its own right - but what ever moves the story forward...

Wow, did not care of the Red Skull - personally I thought he was one of the best comic to screen villains we have had - if Doom is half that good in his next FF appearance I will be happy.

I agree Doom is the best FF villain, but after two failed attempts let's let him sit the next few out and give some one else a chance to shine. Mole Man, Diablo, Mad Thinker, the evil FF, Negative Zone and those who come with it [Blastarr and the big A] - lots to choose from.

[The Overlord]

If you use the classic Frightful Four story from FF 41-43 as a spring board for a movie, then most of The Overlords problems are addressed. The evil FF overpower the Thing while he is away from the FF and brain wash him, then when the rest of the team come to his aid, it's 5 against 3 and the sheer shock of Ben raising his hand against them turns the tide of the battle.

That's okay idea, but the story in FF 41-43 isn't epic enough in scope to be a whole movie, maybe just a climax. I didn't think you could build a 3 at story around it. The problem with the Frightful Four is, they come off as just group of petty thugs, not a grand epic threat that the likes of Doom, Galactus or Annihilus presents. Also I still don't see how the audience is supposed to buy trapster as a serious villain in that story, I don't think he has ever worked as one in the comics.

The fantastic Four work best when they go larger then life adventures, having them deal a group of not very ambitious petty thugs isn't the best way to sell the general audience on the high flying nature of the FF. Wizard needs more of an epic goal then trying to destroy the FF because he suffers from the academic equivalent of "penis envy" in regards to Reed Richards. That story is only classic because of the brainwashed thing plot, which half the FF villains could do, rather then anything personally interesting

Frankly the Ultimate Frightful Four are far more menacing then the 616 Frightful Four. Granted they are too convoluted to use in a movie, but a zombie version of the fantastic Four is far more menacing then a guy with a dome hat and a guy with a glue gun. Frankly the frightful Four si really silly when think about tactically. Wizard is supposed to be an evil ruthless genius and yet he doesn't try to create a numbers advatage right of the bat by having superior numbers to the FF? That makes him seem stupid rather then smart, this is why Wizard seems like a character where the writer says he is smart, but he almost never does smart things. Plus too many villains can ruin things, like in Spider-Man 3, unless some of them are nothing but thugs who have no real personality and are just there to attack the heroes (like Riptide, who had no lines in First Class.)


The Wizard's motives can be as easily revamped as Whiplash's was for IM2 - and when you really get down to it the motive he had was not that important. Sure he thought Stark's pop screwed his dad, but if Fury is to be believed, he brought most of his problems upon himself. And while I am fine with that little bit of back story, if you remove the five or six minutes of screen time devoted to it you still have pretty much the exact same movie. I personally would not tie EVERY villain's back story into that of our hero's - as that is becoming an overused cliche in its own right - but what ever moves the story forward...

And villains who have no motive besides "I will destroy the Fantastic Four because I am evil, mwa, ha, ha!" aren't cliche?

Whiplash having access to Tony's tech through events explained in his back story was pretty important to the movie.

I'm not saying they have to tell us what Wizard was doing in high school, but he should be compelling somehow, which he generally isn't in the comics. When Shaw murdered Magneto's mom in the FC movie, I found him compelling even though I didn't know everything about him, that is more compelling then anything wizard has done in the comics, that showed you how evil Shaw was. Wizard in the comics not only doesn't have a good motive, he doesn't have an interesting personality, he is very one dimensional. If he doesn't have an interesting personality that shines through in the movie, why would I care about him? The whole movie shouldn't be about him, but he needs one or two interesting scene that build up as an interesting villain.

Also frankly Whiplash in the movie was a combo of 616 Whiplash and crimson Dynamo, so I guess Wizard would need to merged with a more interesting villain to work on screen then hey? :cwink:


Wow, did not care of the Red Skull - personally I thought he was one of the best comic to screen villains we have had - if Doom is half that good in his next FF appearance I will be happy.

Again I thought he was pretty generic and rather dull, they took everything unique about the Red Skull in the comics. I and my friends didn't like movie Red Skull at all, I liked Red Skull far better when was a Nazi, it made him seem far more evil, rather then in the movie where he is distanced from the Nazis, it makes seem far less evil. In the comics, Red Skull did truly horrific things, in the movie, what's worse thing he managed to do, kill one of his underlings? That's not nearly as evil Shaw killing Magneto's mom, Shaw came off as a better Nazi villain then red Skull did.

Is there anything to movie Red Skull's personality beyond being an generic megalomaniac who likes power for power's sake? The Red skull liking power for power's sake is pretty generic and lame, frankly. Comic book Red Skull who sees power as a means to a truly sadistic end is far more I have seen that villain a million times, comic book Red Skull is far more evil and interesting then the movie Red Skull.


I agree Doom is the best FF villain, but after two failed attempts let's let him sit the next few out and give some one else a chance to shine. Mole Man, Diablo, Mad Thinker, the evil FF, Negative Zone and those who come with it [Blastarr and the big A] - lots to choose from.

Except a lot of those guys aren't nearly as cinematic as Doom. If they aren't going to use Doom, that better find some guy to make some of these B-list villains compelling, because some of them have rarely been compelling in the comics.

Replacing one of the best written villains in comics, (Doom) with, in one of the worst written villains in comics (Wizard) wouldn't make me very excited for a new FF movie, unless they give Wizard an amazing twist that would actually make him very compelling and suitable foil, without trying to steal Doom's thunder, considering he is just a poor Dr. doom clone in the comics.

Some of those villains work better then others, Mad thinker and Annihilus are more interesting then Wizard and the Red Ghost. Some of these villains just aren't very interesting in terms of visuals or gimmicks or personality.

[Incrediblejeff]

Simple solution If the Villains aren't cinematic enough make them .A good director/writer can do that.

[bubbadoom]

some time ago I was curious as to which FF villains had appeared the most in the first 100 issues of the FF [after all, those are the only issues that really matter], and here's what I came up with...

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: VILLAINS in first 100 issues


01] DR. DOOM [18]
#5, #6[w/SM], #10, #16, #17, #23, #39, #40, #57[w/SS], #58, #59[w/IN], #60, #84, #85, #86, #87, A#2, A#3 [w/everyone else]

02] INHUMANS [12]
#44[w/DM], #45[w/DM], #46[w/DM], #47[w/DM], #48[w/SS], #54,
#59[w/DD], #62[w/BL], #82, #83, #99, A#5

03] FRIGHTFUL FOUR / WIZARD, SANDMAN, TRAPSTER, MEDUSA [11]
#36, #38, #41, #42, #43, #57[SA/W] #61[SA], #63[SAw/BL], #78[W}, #81[W], #94

04] SILVER SURFER / GALACTUS [11]
#48, #49, #50, #55, #57, #61[w/SM], #72, #74, #75, #76, #77

05] MAD THINKER / HIS ANDROIDS [10]
#15, #28[w/PM], #68, #69, #70, #71, #79, #96, #100[w/PM], A#4

06] SKRULLS / SUPER SKRULL [8]
#2, #18, #32, #37, #90[w/MM], #91, #92, #93,

07] SUB-MARINER [7]
#4, #6[w/DD], #9, #14[w/PM], #27, #33, A#1

08] MOLE MAN [6]
#1, #22, #31, #88, #89, #90[w/SK]

09] DRAGON MAN [5]
#35[w/DI], #44[w/IN], #45[w/IN], #46[w/IN], #47[w/IN]

12] NEGATIVE ZONE [5]
#51[Man/Monster], #61[w/SA], #62, #63[Blastarr], A#6[Annuylus]

10] PUPPET MASTER [4]
#8, #14[w/SM], #28[w/MT], #100[w/MT]

12] BLACK PANTHER [4]
#52, #53, #54, A#5[w/IN,PS]

11] HULK [3]
#12, #25, #26[w/Avengers]

13] KLAW [3]
#52, #53, #56

14] PSYCHO-MAN [3]
#76[w/SS], #77[w/SS], A#5[w/BP,IN]


TWO OR LESS


01] MIRICALE MAN [1]
#3
02] PLANET X [1]
#7
03] IMPOSSIBLE MAN [1]
#11
04] RED GHOST [2]
#13, #29
05] RAMMA TUT [2]
#19, A#2
06] MOLECULE MAN [1]
#20
07] HATE MONGER [1]
#21
08] INFANT TERRIBLE [1]
#24
09] DIABLO [2]
#30, #35 [w/DM]
10] GIDDEON [1]
#34
11] SENTRY [2]
#64, #98
12] RONIN [1]
#65
13] HIM / BEE HIVE [2]
#66, #67
14] SPIDEY, THOR, & DAREDEVIL [1]
#73
15] TOTUM [1]
#80
16] MONICLE [1]
#95
17] CREATURE [1]
#97

[Raiden]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but aside from the rumor/news that Fox has hired someone to write the script for a FF reboot, do we have any other concrete proof that Fox is actually going ahead with a reboot? I really hope Fox will decide against going ahead with it just so they can keep the movie rights for a few more years.

[bubbadoom]

I have heard nothing - so hopefully no news is good news as far as the rights going back to Marvel...

[GoblinScrier]

Is there ANYONE that we can contact with Marvel Films/Disney that can tell us if there is anything they can tell us about the F4 movie rights? I know they would want to make an announcement and such but haven't we waited enough to find out if the rights are dead or on there wait to Marvel.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Is there ANYONE that we can contact with Marvel Films/Disney that can tell us if there is anything they can tell us about the F4 movie rights? I know they would want to make an announcement and such but haven't we waited enough to find out if the rights are dead or on there wait to Marvel.

I'm absolutely certain you won't get a straight answer out of anybody. While I don't know the details of the contract, I'm sure you won't get Marvel to specifically admit any interest in the property until a deal is signed - otherwise they'll weaken their bargaining position.

And while Fox made a big show of their interest in producing the film (the day after Disney bought Marvel and they thought they might be able to catch some of the cash that was flying around), I'm nearly certain they're not interested in making a film at this point.

If Fox could even pretend to be working on a film, it would strengthen their bargaining position. The fact that they're not even pretending leads me to believe they have no interest. But they also aren't going to simply hand over the rights.

At this point, I suspect Marvel is waiting them out and we'll have to wait until the contract specifies they absolutely must turn them over. I'm not sure when that will be. Might be a while, but as long as Fox isn't talking about their progress, chances are they're doing nothing.

[marcvader]

Fingers crossed

[Raiden]

I'm absolutely certain you won't get a straight answer out of anybody. While I don't know the details of the contract, I'm sure you won't get Marvel to specifically admit any interest in the property until a deal is signed - otherwise they'll weaken their bargaining position.

And while Fox made a big show of their interest in producing the film (the day after Disney bought Marvel and they thought they might be able to catch some of the cash that was flying around), I'm nearly certain they're not interested in making a film at this point.

If Fox could even pretend to be working on a film, it would strengthen their bargaining position. The fact that they're not even pretending leads me to believe they have no interest. But they also aren't going to simply hand over the rights.

At this point, I suspect Marvel is waiting them out and we'll have to wait until the contract specifies they absolutely must turn them over. I'm not sure when that will be. Might be a while, but as long as Fox isn't talking about their progress, chances are they're doing nothing.

This is pure speculation, but I'm guessing that the uncertainty surrounding the movie rights of FF may be one of the reasons why Marvel hasn't yet announced their 2014 schedule. If Marvel got the FF rights, they might be more inclined to reboot it so Marve's First Family can integral into MCU right away, not to mention other attached properties like Dr. Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus will be available for all their future plans. I just hope it will come true.

[DrCosmic]

But he does have motive, he may lack back story, but he has an interesting motive.

Red Skull in the comics who was motivated by hate is far more interesting then film Red Skull who is a generic power hungry villain, the Skull's motives are very important to the character.

Look at Doom, compared movie Doom's character and motives to that of the Doom from the comics and tell which one is better. Doom's motives and personality are very important to the character.

I simply disagree. Joker's lack of motive is what makes him interesting, and is a plot point in the film. I'm not sure why you're giving comics examples. You give a lot of them, and I'm lost on what point you're trying to make with them.

Nothing I suppose, but that's not my argument, sure you can change Wizard to make him work on screen, but there are far more interesting FF villains to work with who don't need as much work then Wizard does. There we go. Okay, I Agree with this point. There are more interesting villains. The advantage that the Wizard has is that he can be changed to serve the movie's storyline. Traditionally, in film, the heroic arc(s) are developed first, then the villains are chosen and detailed. This makes the story better because the villains serve the story, instead of having the story have to bend and contort in order to showcase the villains.

Now think about how an FF film would be. Is it likely to involve breaking into a well-stocked Reed Richards storage facility? Is that how audiences are likely to get reintroduced to the Reed Richards character? Is there any *movie* storyline that Mad Thinker would be well suited for?

In short, would IM2 have been a better film with Mandarin, who has much more well developed and interesting comic book motives and backstory? I think not. Sometimes, a shell character that you can mold is better for an adaptation than a well developed character that doesn't have as much to say outside of comics status quo and tropes. In such a case, a great character is counter-intuitively less useful than a weak character. I believe this is the case with Fantastic Four.

Simple I did not care for the character that much and I would rather see someone else. Heck we haven't even had a proper version of Doom or Galactus on screen. In terms of on screen villains, I would much prefer Mad thinker to Wizard, Mad thinker is a little more interesting. I just don't think Wizard's whole gimmick is very unique, I think Mad thinker comes across better in terms of a more dynamic gimmick and is a better developed character in the comics.

Sure, I still don't care for the character or don't think there are better options to use then him. Is it you think Mad Thinker would better serve the story, or that the story would be better if it serves Mad Thinker's motives and backstory?

When has Wizard ever been Reed's equal? In his first appearance Wizard was outsmarted by Susan and Johnny, how he is supposed to be Reed's league? Wizard has almost always been a character that talks about how smart he is, instead of actually doing smart things. Again. Whiplash is proof that these comic book comparisons aren't relevant to making a good movie or not.

Also the Frightful Four just isn't that interesting of a super villain group, when the Sinister Six attacks Spidey there is some drama, because he is outnumbered, you don't have that with the Frightful Four. A Frightful Fourteen would be far more menacing. The element of surprise is the only thing the Frightful Four have going for them and even then its not enough to overcome the fact the FF are superior in terms of power, brains and team work, so they can adapt to a surprise attack far quicker then the frightful four could and as soon as that advantage is gone. Having only four members and wasting one of the memberships on Trapster really doesn't make the Frightful Four seem threatening at all. All I can say is that a movie adaptation is not the 616 universe, and with the Frightful Four's rotating roster, there's no reason the Frightful four can't be equal in terms of brains and superior in everything else.

Monsterous in terms of just appearance or personality as well? Would he be a truly evil monster with no sympathetic qualities what so ever or something else? Monstrousness has far more to do personality then it does with appearance.

However taking cues from Ultimate Mole Man would be a step in the right direction.It depends if he's the mastermind or not.

[Lord]

Some time ago i only wanted Mole Man as the villain in the 1st FF film, but after reading the FF comic where he first appeared i was impressed, i think that he would serve the story well .since he along with his apes gain the powers the same way the FF did.

[BigThor]

This is pure speculation, but I'm guessing that the uncertainty surrounding the movie rights of FF may be one of the reasons why Marvel hasn't yet announced their 2014 schedule. If Marvel got the FF rights, they might be more inclined to reboot it so Marve's First Family can integral into MCU right away, not to mention other attached properties like Dr. Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus will be available for all their future plans. I just hope it will come true.

I would love to see Iron Man go up against Dr. Doom, Thor come face to face with Silver Surfer, and The Fantastic Four team up with The Avengers on film at some point in the next 10 years.

[Franklin Richards]

That's the Red Ghost.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

[Lord]

lol, then the hell with Mad Thinker, I WANT THE RED GHOST :D

[BigThor]

What's the Red Ghost?

[bubbadoom]

At this point, I suspect Marvel is waiting them out and we'll have to wait until the contract specifies they absolutely must turn them over. I'm not sure when that will be. Might be a while, but as long as Fox isn't talking about their progress, chances are they're doing nothing.

Even before the first movie came out, I was hearing Fox had till 2012 to have three in theaters or they loose the rights - let's hope that's still the case.

As I have wondered before, even if the FF goes back to Marvel, what happens to the Silver Surfer/Galactus - since they were optioned before the FF I am sure they are not covered by the same terms...

[Lord]

What's the Red Ghost?
This guy:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/FFFOES005_COV.jpg

For me the first film should in least have the Mole Man, but if they choosed another villain i think this guy should be it

[BigThor]

Yeah I know who the Red Ghost is, I was just wondering why Franklin Richards aid "that's the Red Ghost" but I understand now since I read the post he was replying to.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Even before the first movie came out, I was hearing Fox had till 2012 to have three in theaters or they loose the rights - let's hope that's still the case.

As I have wondered before, even if the FF goes back to Marvel, what happens to the Silver Surfer/Galactus - since they were optioned before the FF I am sure they are not covered by the same terms...

Once again, we have very little information, but I do remember someone from Fox saying - after the second film when they were considering a Surfer movie - that making a Surfer movie would count toward them retaining their FF rights even if the FF weren't included.

Based on that tiny bit of information, I believe the rights are packaged.

I've heard the 2012 date mentioned frequently. The problem is it could just be something that has been perpetuated by people like us without anything firm backing it up.

If it is a real date, then the question becomes: Does the film need to be released by 2012 or does it just need to be in 'active development'?

If it's the former, then we're probably past the point of no-return.

My gut tells me we'll know something in the next 3-4 months.

[Raiden]

If it's the former, then we're probably past the point of no-return.

My gut tells me we'll know something in the next 3-4 months.

I hope so. With Disney having display keen interest in acquiring the movie rights from other studios, I don't think they'd stand idly by and let FOX takes no action on the FF franchise. As for FOX, I really wonder why they'd spend millions just so they can hold on to the rights for a few more years. If they didn't like the BO returns for FF2 and the prospect of a Silver Surfer movie seems remote, why not just give it back to Marvel so they can focus their resources on their other two Marvel properties instead?

[DrCosmic]

FOX may try to keep or contort the rights to keep Disney from making money on it. They are indirect competitors after all. This is business.

[KangConquers]

Fantastic 4 is necessary to Marvel Studios, and not just for the team itself. The franchise also offers Disney the chance to use Marvel's top villain (Doctor Doom) and it's two most famous cosmic entities (Silver Surfer and Galactus.)

[bubbadoom]

Fantastic 4 is necessary to Marvel Studios, and not just for the team itself. The franchise also offers Disney the chance to use Marvel's top villain (Doctor Doom) and it's two most famous cosmic entities (Silver Surfer and Galactus.)

Sorry to sound like a broken record - but DOES the FF going back to Marvel include SS [and the big G] - as SS was optioned years before the FF in a separate deal? Hope it does, but does anyone know for sure....?

[Franklin Richards]

If Fox would have made a SS movie then they would have retained the FF's rights. That makes me think that they are in a bundle.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

[Hypestyle]

So many fantasy-heavy villains to choose from- annhilius, mole man, red ghost, blastaar, diablo, immortus, kang, rama-tut, terminus, etc.

..I hope an unknown actor is hired for Dr. Doom in a future film. That way, it won't matter that his face is covered most of the time.

[Steve Holt]

If Fox would have made a SS movie then they would have retained the FF's rights. That makes me think that they are in a bundle.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

actually they are separate, they just happen to have both

same as X-Men and Deadpool, separate deals but they just happen to have both

[Gamma Goliath]

I wonder when the SS rights expire, and if Galactus is included in them.....

[Casius--J]

I hope Marvel gets the rights back to FF soon or Fox take the franchise seriously and give us a great reboot soon. I just want to see an awesome movie SOON

[BigThor]

So many fantasy-heavy villains to choose from- annhilius, mole man, red ghost, blastaar, diablo, immortus, kang, rama-tut, terminus, etc.

..I hope an unknown actor is hired for Dr. Doom in a future film. That way, it won't matter that his face is covered most of the time.

Kang is more of an Avengers villain, yeah he's faced other Marvel characters but he usually sets his sights on the Avengers.

I wonder when the SS rights expire, and if Galactus is included in them.....

Yes, Galactus is included with them and I can't wait to see Silver Surfer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[Gamma Goliath]

in that case, a marvel annihilation based franchise seems within our grasp if they get SS back.....

[DrCosmic]

I somehow doubt we'll ever see a Marvel Annihilation franchise. I mean, how would you even pitch that? Most people just don't think on that level. It'd be like having a movie with Q and Odin vs Sauron and The Dark Side of the Force.

[Gamma Goliath]

that's the beauty of it. imagine if they were brilliant enough to actually pull it off.

[BatsDC]

Would Marvel have been able to draft screenplays to their takes on films of properties they don't own?Because if they are, they could get a FF film going pretty quickly if/when they get the rights back.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Would Marvel have been able to draft screenplays to their takes on films of properties they don't own?Because if they are, they could get a FF film going pretty quickly if/when they get the rights back.

I'm sure there's nothing legally preventing them from drafting screenplays, selecting producers, scouting locations etc. It's all a matter of how much they're willing to invest considering the uncertainty.

I'd expect that, at the very least, they may have some people working on scripts because those are relatively cheap (heck, I've already had a couple inquiries about the film rights to my novel - in Hollywood, they collect scripts and 'options' like troll dolls).

If they're 99% sure they're likely doing some ground work.

[Raiden]

I just hate the fact that we have gotten no new news regarding whether FOX is really going ahead with the reboot, or they are quietly letting the rights relapse so they can be reverted back to Marvel/Disney. And nobody is saying anything. :cmad:

[bubbadoom]

let's hope no news is good news...

[marcvader]

Yeah, I don't mind there's no news coming from Fox. Hopefully it means Marvel's first family will be heading home.

[Brian2887]

Updated Potential Cast:

Reed Richards - Chris Messina (Away We Go, Devil)
http://i2.listal.com/image/1603428/600full-chris-messina.jpg

Sue Storm - Claire Danes (Stardust, Terminator 3)
http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/claireandtemp_lg.jpg

Johnny Storm - Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Last House On The Left)
http://images06.alloy.com/pagesystem/2/105/9684/9684_photo.jpg

Ben Grimm - Joel Edgerton (Warrior, Animal Kingdom)
http://static.nme.com/images/gallery/JoelEdgertonPA070511.jpg

Dr. Doom - Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, The Matrix Reloaded)
http://www.media-courses.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/vincent-cassel.jpg

[Matt Mortem]

Not a bad cast.

[Willie Lumpkin]

Johnny Storm - Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Last House On The Left)
http://images06.alloy.com/pagesystem/2/105/9684/9684_photo.jpg


LOVE this choice. Chris Evans did a great job, but he didn't really match the image of Johnny I've always had in my head. He actually reminded me more of Spider-Man.

Aaron Paul would be great for the Johnny role.

[Franklin Richards]

Kang is more of an Avengers villain, yeah he's faced other Marvel characters but he usually sets his sights on the Avengers.

Well he was Rama Tut first and he faced the FF first. So they can always go that way.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

[Franklin Richards]

FF was mentioned by Rothman. And that was it.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

[GoblinScrier]

Here is the link to the story that confirms our worst fears that Fox STILL wants to do a F4 reboot...SOB...SOB...SOB...SCREAM....SCREAM


http://splashpage.mtv.com/2011/12/07/x-men-daredevil-fantastic-four-tom-rothman/

When will the day come when F4 belongs to Marvel once and for all and have A TRUE DOCTOR DOOM that is worthy of the source material...

[Lord]

I believe there's a chance Fox will make it right, in fact i believe that if they make a reboot it will be good, however unlike with the X-Men franchise, the FF are crucial to the Marvel Universe and both benefit with this.

[GoblinScrier]

Well even though its been a few years, I still can't shake Dr. Doom saying "Susan, let's not fight" "Marco...Polo" or from the sequel "Let's all go for a SPIN." Shudders to think of a repeat of that again...the only way I can accept Fox doing this is if they somehow teamup with Marvel and have them control the project as to make sure that all characters are comic book worthy...

Since I know that is a pipedream, then I guess the only game to play now is the waiting game...

[TheFuture]

Dr. Doom - Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, The Matrix Reloaded)


Not to be nitpicky, but Cassel has a hell of a lot more cred than being remembered for The Matrix Reloaded.

Good cast anyway, I'd disagree on your choice for Reed though.

[BenReilly]

When will the day come when F4 belongs to Marvel once and for all and have A TRUE DOCTOR DOOM that is worthy of the source material...

It's certainly possible, even with Fox.

Magneto is by far the greatest cinematic Marvel villain and they nailed him not once, but twice, because they had great directors who were able to cast great actors in the role, with Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender.

I don't see why they can't do it with Doom. It all comes down to the director, whichever actor the director casts in the role as Doom, and how much support they'll have from the studio.

[Jordacar]

Not to be nitpicky, but Cassel has a hell of a lot more cred than being remembered for The Matrix Reloaded.Wait, he was in Matrix reloaded?:huh:

[Spider-Fan83]

^no he wasn't (unless it was an uncredited role?)
he was probably thinking of Lambert Wilson

[BigThor]

Magneto is by far the greatest cinematic Marvel villain

Better than Tom Hiddleston's Loki? :huh:


Well he was Rama Tut first and he faced the FF first. So they can always go that way.


:ff: :ff: :ff:

Well Hulk was an Avenger long before Hawkeye but the latter is still regarded as more an actual Avenger.

The same logic applies to Kang being more an Avengers villain even though he faced the FF as Rama Tut first, you know being "first" isn't everything.

[Brian2887]

^no he wasn't (unless it was an uncredited role?)
he was probably thinking of Lambert Wilson

I was totally thinking of Lambert Wilson. My bad. Thanks. Cassell > Wilson. By a long shot.

[Obi-Ron]

Here is the link to the story that confirms our worst fears that Fox STILL wants to do a F4 reboot...SOB...SOB...SOB...SCREAM....SCREAM


http://splashpage.mtv.com/2011/12/07/x-men-daredevil-fantastic-four-tom-rothman/

When will the day come when F4 belongs to Marvel once and for all and have A TRUE DOCTOR DOOM that is worthy of the source material...

:wall:

[Lord]

Better than Tom Hiddleston's Loki? :huh:


Uh, yes, there's not even a comparison here, Magneto was amazing in all his movies, only Ian McKellen's performance was perfect, and Fasbender was glorious too, Loki was ok in my opinion.

But i'm begining to think Loki in Thor is becoming too overrated, he wasn't that great, he acted like a spoiled crying ba****d, ok, i'm not trying to insult him but he wasn't that great, he wasn't even close to Dock Ock's appearance in Spider-Man 2, so he's not even close to Magneto, Not...Even....Close

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Uh, yes, there's not even a comparison here, Magneto was amazing in all his movies, only Ian McKellen's performance was perfect, and Fasbender was glorious too, Loki was ok in my opinion.

But i'm begining to think Loki in Thor is becoming too overrated, he wasn't that great, he acted like a spoiled crying ba****d, ok, i'm not trying to insult him but he wasn't that great, he wasn't even close to Dock Ock's appearance in Spider-Man 2, so he's not even close to Magneto, Not...Even....Close

Totally agree... I even thought Hiddleston's acting became a little strained in the third act of Thor.

[Airwings]

But i'm begining to think Loki in Thor is becoming too overrated, he wasn't that great, he acted like a spoiled crying ba****d, ok, i'm not trying to insult him but he wasn't that great, he wasn't even close to Dock Ock's appearance in Spider-Man 2, so he's not even close to Magneto, Not...Even....Close
What if Loki is supposed to behave like a spoiled XXXXX?
It's one thing to dislike a character's personality and the actor who plays the character

[Lord]

He still wasn't better than either of Magneto's performances

[Willie Lumpkin]

I don't think there's anything wrong with him being a spoiled brat, but he needs to also be threatening.

You could argue that most supervillains have a certain level of narcissism, but they also need to combine that with a sense of danger. If a villain gives the impression that he only needs to be *****-slapped into submission, it doesn't make for a very compelling story.

[Hawkingbird]

I personally thought Tom was great as Loki. Does anybody else like the idea as Blake Lively as Susan Storm?

[Lord]

He was great, but i'm tired of people saying he was the best comic book movie villain ever, or in this case that he was better than Magneto

[marcvader]

I was just as good in my book.

[NewYorkSpider]

I personally thought Tom was great as Loki. Does anybody else like the idea as Blake Lively as Susan Storm?


I could be down with her for Sue. I would like to see Chris Pine in the role as Reed Richards or Johnny Storm.

[Gamma Goliath]

chris pine? I like the guy, but not for euther of those roles lol.

[Lord]

Anybody still interested in a 60s Fantastic Four movie?

[bubbadoom]

I would be happy with one set in the 60's or the present, as long as it was true to the Lee/Kirby series...

[TheVileOne]

So here we are 2012 about to start and still nothing on this movie.

Can Fox really keep the rights without a movie this long?

[Lord]

Yeah, i really hope they stay true to the Kirby designs, it's one of my favourite things in the comics. I'm not sure about the rights of the movie, FOX doesn't seem like one to let the rights revert to Marvel so easily, i kind of hope FOX decides to keep the quality in storytelling found in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: First Class, because if they do keep the right they will in least make a better movie.

Either way FF belongs to Marvel, the Fantastic Four is the center of the Marvel Universe, Doctor Doom, Galactus, Silver Sufer, maybe even Kang would be available to Marvel for them to do whatever they want

[bubbadoom]

Marvel has Kang now, since he's an Avengers villain - but it would be fantastic for Marvel's first family to be back where they belong - and all the characters who might come with them.

I will say again, I recall hearing repeatedly when the first FF movie was in production that Fox had to have a third FF movie IN THEATERS by 2012 or they would loose the rights, so let's see what happens over the next 12 months...

[Invader34]

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/3002/300timcm11611.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/300timcm11611.jpg/)
My pick for Reed Richards
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Incrediblejeff]

Marvel has Kang now, since he's an Avengers villain - but it would be fantastic for Marvel's first family to be back where they belong - and all the characters who might come with them.

I will say again, I recall hearing repeatedly when the first FF movie was in production that Fox had to have a third FF movie IN THEATERS by 2012 or they would loose the rights, so let's see what happens over the next 12 months...

I thought it needed to only be in Production by 2012?

[Hypestyle]

If Fox ends up making the film, they might as well make it the 60s, bring on Bryan Singer and have some interaction with the X-Men first class characters.. but ...I really want this to revert back to Marvel.. give us Marvel fans a happy new year, Fox..

[Lord]

I'm up for a 60s FF movie but only if it's in Marvel's Universe, because then they could be the first superhero family and Superhero celebrities

[bubbadoom]

I thought it needed to only be in Production by 2012?

I recall hearing that it had to be in theaters, but I could be wrong...

The entire point was to give Marvel a hard date as to when they would get it back if Fox was doing nothing with it, and "in production" sounds to vague to me...

I guess we will have to wait and see...

[marcvader]

It has to be in production, that's pretty obvious now. As far as the 60's is concerned I'm cool with it if its at FOX but not if its at Marvel.

[bubbadoom]

It has to be in production, that's pretty obvious now. As far as the 60's is concerned I'm cool with it if its at FOX but not if its at Marvel.

I would not say anything is "obvious" about the future of the FF at this point - just because Rothman mentioned it in passing while talking about their other more active projects does not really mean anything concrete. I personally do not think the FF is any closer to happening now than it was a year or two ago - but we shall see.

[Hypestyle]

hopefully some other fox films become the priority... ice age 4, Apes sequel, etc.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I would not say anything is "obvious" about the future of the FF at this point

I agree. Vague internet rumors have become accepted as fact regarding this topic and for all any of us really know, Fox could have the rights through 2030.

But with that said, I do think no-news is good-news and if Fox had any real intention of even beginning production in 2012 (presumably for a summer 2013 release) we'd be hearing about it by now.

If I had to put money on it, I'd say that Marvel will have the rights to FF by the end of 2012.

FF is simply worth more to Marvel than it is to Fox. Fox doesn't seem to have a clue how to do an FF film, but Marvel is likely looking at the possibility of a REAL FF film as one of the only ways to follow up the spectacle of an Avengers film.

[Dark Raven]

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/3002/300timcm11611.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/300timcm11611.jpg/)
My pick for Reed Richards
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Who is he? He looks quite Reed like.

[Spider-Fan83]

Timothy Olyphant

tho, I can kinda see looks wise, for me nothing I've seen of his work, really gives me much of a Reed vibe

but, that's just me

[Project862006]

think thats timothy olyphant

i still like billy crudup for reed

[Willie Lumpkin]

I think he'd be an interesting choice. I can't help feeling like he's doing a Clint Eastwood impression whenever I see him, though.

[marcvader]

I really don't get a Reed Richards vibe from Olyphant.

[Invader34]

Yeah I've never really gotten a Reed Richards vibe from Olyphant, I suppose I just appreciate him as an actor. He seems to put a lot into his work as far as becoming the character, which is on great display in Justified, and I'd love to see what he could bring to the table as Reed. I gotta say though, I'm liking that Billy Crudup idea as well!!!

[Steve Holt]

i was thinking of a F4 movie set in the late 80's at the end of the cold war featuring a young reed, so if it's in the MCU he would be a contemporary of Stark, maybe have gone to MIT together or been mentored by him, and have already been established.
Then in the public eye they would already be the First Family.
Or maybe a montage at the start to establish they've been active for a while,
But either way i just want Marvel to have the rights back

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

this is my pick for Reed.


http://jeffreydonovanfans.com/gallery/albums/photos/magazines/jeffrey-donovan12.jpg

[Jordacar]

this is my pick for Reed.

http://jeffreydonovanfans.com/gallery/albums/photos/magazines/jeffrey-donovan12.jpgNot nerdy enough.

My picks:
REED RICHARDS: Linus Roache (Batman Begins, Law & Order)
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4958/linusroache.jpg

SUE STORM: Elizabeth Banks
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4296/elizabethbanks.jpg

JOHNNY STORM: Chris Zylka (Secret Circle)
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3364/chriszylkaap.jpg

BEN GRIMM: Jay R. Ferguson (Mad Men, Surface)
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2299/jayrferguson.jpg

VICTOR VON DOOM: Clive Owen
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1919/clivedoom.jpg

Gotta get a known actor for Doom, and we know from Sin City and Inside Man that Clive has a memorable voice to help with all that mask acting.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Linus Roache is too old

[Jordacar]

He's a year older than RDJ

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

He's a year older than RDJ
and he has three movies under his belt by the time they get rolling on a movie he will be 50 to mid 50s. hes too old to start a franchise and he just doesn't that reed feel to him. and lastly hes Thomas Wayne.

[Spider-ManHero12]

Is there a script for this yet?

[bubbadoom]

[QUOTE=Jordacar;22140061]Not nerdy enough.

Reed should NOT be a "nerd" - my biggest problem with the Reed we got in FF 1 & 2 was he was too weak - Reed was a man's man, confident, two fisted, smart - Tony Stark with out the attitude.

[Incrediblejeff]

I agree,Reed should not be Peter Parker.He's Nerdy,but he's not that nerdy.Reed is a tough guy.

[jaymes_e06]

Yeah that's the problem that people think any man who is intelligent has to be nerdy and introverted, Reed is confident and outgoing man IMO, that was the problem of the FF movie franchise for me.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

thats why i keep saying Jeffery Donavon.

[Dark Raven]

thats why i keep saying Jeffery Donavon.

Jeffrey Donovan is more like Tony Stark though. He's too confident and tough, and has a more mercurial personality. He doesn't seem enough of an elder statesman of the Marvel universe.

Although he's a little on the old side, I prefer someone like Bruce Greenwood. He would be perfect if he were a little younger. I still think he would be great, but the studio (whoever that might be) might prefer younger.

[terry78]

Reed Richards is just kind of an insufferable genius, similar to Stark but more stoic and cold almost. Except towards Sue.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Donavon is the right age, he can pull off the role and if you are rebooting the movie then he wouldn't be that well know to the world. He would become a big name after he got his powers. You would need someone that can do action stuff and the science techno babel and he can.

[bubbadoom]

Donovan looks pretty good to me, and at 43 he's about the correct age, given that Reed was in WWII and got his powers almost 20 years later. Naomi Watts is the same age, and a good choice for Sue. Charlize Theron is about 8 years younger, maybe a truer age difference given the comics. Elizabeth Banks is a year older than Theron, and also a good choice.

[Spider-Fan83]

thats why I'd still like to see someone like, Dylan McDermott, he's 50, but, in great shape for his age, an looks alot younger then he is

[Project862006]

billy crudup is still my choice!!

[rorry]

Jon Hamm as Reed Richards.

[marcvader]

I really don't have anyone in particular in mind but I do hope that whoever they get reflects all the characteristics Reed should have which is intellegence, leadership, and integrity. You should be able to tell right off the bat that he's one of if not the most intellegent man on Earth as well as one of the leaders of the Marvel U.

[Brian2887]

I think it's very important that the actor who plays Reed comes off with an air of aloofness. Not the kind of coy playfulness of Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, because that's clearly his public face. Reed is just always wrapped up in his own head, and because of that, he's not so great at personal relationships. Sure, when he focuses on the moment, he can be charming, but that's not most of who he is. People who don't really know him probably find him arrogant, but he can't help always being the smartest guy in the room. The one person who can really ground him is Susan.

I like Olyphant and Hamm and Donavan, but I don't think I could buy any of them as a super genius trapped in his own thoughts. Crudup, I could, but I think his turn as Dr. Manhattan was already pretty close to Reed.

That's why I'm still sticking with Chris Messina. He always comes off as intelligent, and in a given scene, he can be either charming or smarmy. It's the right mix for Mr. Fantastic.

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/41797_31275038188_7289_n.jpg

There is one casting choice I have wavered on. I used to support Jon Bernethal from The Walking Dead as Ben Grimm, and I'd still be fine with that choice, but I'm really throwing my support behind Corey Stoll. He was in Law and Order: L.A., Salt, and Push, but he was absolutely fantastic as man's man Ernest Hemingway in Midnight in Paris. He has the bravado, machismo, and, when it comes down to it, heart to play the Thing.

http://media.knoxville.com/media/img/photos/2011/06/08/061011stoll_t300.jpg

Both actors are about the same age. (Messina is 37, Stoll is 35). Old enough to be believable, and young enough to build a franchise around.

[marcvader]

I'm like both of your suggestions but I would think either FOX or Marvel would want a more recognizable name for Reed.

[Brian2887]

Possibly. But, in an ensemble piece like this, they don't always need a face. No one in X-Men was famous when it was released, save for Halle Berry. You have someone recognizable as Johnny or Sue, and a well-known actor for the villain, and it's a pretty successful recipe.

While I'm rooting for Aaron Paul to play Johnny Storm, I'd take Liam Hemsworth or someone similar if Fox wanted a name in the 4. Then you go for Clive Owen or someone of his ilk to be Dr. Doom, and it's a marketable enough picture.

[marcvader]

If Fassbender had not done Magneto he would have been a great Reed.

[Brian2887]

He would have been. Still would be. I wouldn't mind him taking another comic book role, though I'm positive he'd turn it down.

This name just occurred to me, and he's pretty recognizable from film and television. Not a superstar, but a talented actor who's been around. A Single Man, The Fall, Infamous, When In Rome, Pushing Daisies, and probably most interesting to Fox executives looking for a face, Marmaduke, Lincoln, Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 and The Hobbit.

Lee Pace.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkplcoGnOD1qecfy1.jpg

[Gamma Goliath]

not the first time he's been brought up. must be a decent choice.

[Brian2887]

Ahh. I have a bad habit of not reading through these threads, haha. I guess that's the producer in me. I want all the ideas to be mine. :)

[Steve Holt]

He would have been. Still would be. I wouldn't mind him taking another comic book role, though I'm positive he'd turn it down.

This name just occurred to me, and he's pretty recognizable from film and television. Not a superstar, but a talented actor who's been around. A Single Man, The Fall, Infamous, When In Rome, Pushing Daisies, and probably most interesting to Fox executives looking for a face, Marmaduke, Lincoln, Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 and The Hobbit.

Lee Pace.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkplcoGnOD1qecfy1.jpg

yeah i usually bring him up every other week lol.
he'd be a great reed

[Brian2887]

Credit where credit is due, Steve Holt (great username, btw). Lee Pace would be great.

The more I think about Corey Stoll's performance in Midnight In Paris, the more I think he'd be amazing as Ben Grimm. Like, on par with Downey, Jr. as Stark or McKellen as Magneto. Not that he'd get that acclaim, necessarily, but it's the perfect match of actor and character that comic book adaptions don't always nail.

http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Galleries/Shows/G_L/La_Lh/Law_Order_LA/season1/law-order-la-20.jpg

[marcvader]

I like the Stoll for Grimm suggestion but I prefer an older looking actor for Reed

[marcvader]

How about Anson Mount from Hell on Wheels for Reed? About the age I'm looking for and just a couple years older than Stoll.

[Willie Lumpkin]

How about Anson Mount from Hell on Wheels for Reed? About the age I'm looking for and just a couple years older than Stoll.

:up:

Good call! I think he works on several levels.

And I can't think of who he would fit, but that guy who plays The Swede would make a great villain somehow, somewhere.

[BruceWanner]

How about Matt Damon as Reed?

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/123/mattdamona.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/689/mattdamona.jpg/)

[TheVileOne]

Bad choice.

[BruceWanner]

Bad choice.
Could you please be a little more specific about why you think he's a bad choice?

[Matt Mortem]

I'm not really digging Matt Damon as Reed either. He's a hell of an actor and could probably pull it off, but the looks just isn't there for me

[Steve Holt]

I'm not really digging Matt Damon as Reed either. He's a hell of an actor and could probably pull it off, but the looks just isn't there for me

there's no doubt he's a good actor, but like Brad Pitt playing Cap it would be way too distracting

Lee Pace or Billy Crudup for me lol

[K'Prime]

for the love of everything that is holy.please let the rights revert back to marvel sometime this year....

[Willie Lumpkin]

Damon just doesn't project the intelligence or mental toughness that I'd like to see from Reed.

The thing that works for him in the "Bourne" movies is that he just seems like the guy-next-door, but he's got special training and is tied up in all kinds of s***. For Reed, ideally, you need someone who can project a higher level of competence and confidence than Damon has shown in any of the roles he has done to this point.

I wouldn't completely poo-poo the idea of Damon, but there have to be 1000 unkowns out there who would be more natural fits.

[OB12]

Damon just doesn't project the intelligence or mental toughness that I'd like to see from Reed.

The thing that works for him in the "Bourne" movies is that he just seems like the guy-next-door, but he's got special training and is tied up in all kinds of s***. For Reed, ideally, you need someone who can project a higher level of competence and confidence than Damon has shown in any of the roles he has done to this point.

I wouldn't completely poo-poo the idea of Damon, but there have to be 1000 unkowns out there who would be more natural fits.


I don't really think I'd want Damon for Reed, but I think Damon has played roles where he projects intelligence and confidence. Good Will Hunting and Rounders just to name a couple. That said, I think he would be too distracting because he is such a big name.

[Jordacar]

I'm liking Crudup for Reed more and more. I think Reed's a much better fit for him than Dr. Manhattan was.

[bubbadoom]

I don't really think I'd want Damon for Reed, but I think Damon has played roles where he projects intelligence and confidence. Good Will Hunting and Rounders just to name a couple. That said, I think he would be too distracting because he is such a big name.

Do you think he would be any more distracting that Robert Downey Jr. was as Tony Stark - that worked out pretty good and saved RDjr's career!

[OB12]

Do you think he would be any more distracting that Robert Downey Jr. was as Tony Stark - that worked out pretty good and saved RDjr's career!


The difference being RDJ wasn't a huge star prior to IM. He had been around the business for quite a while and was known, but he certainly wasn't on the level that Damon currently is. I don't think Damon would be a horrible choice, but I don't think it is all that likely nor that inspired.

My pick - Dermot Mulroney

[Willie Lumpkin]

I'm disappointed. Why did I have to go to another thread to find out Marvel has a 'Mystery Movie' scheduled for 4/4/14?

http://www.slashfilm.com/disney-moves-marvel-mystery-movie-april-4th-2014-confirms-the-avengers-released-3d/

[Obi-Ron]

Things that make you say "hmmmmm"....

[bubbadoom]

Fox screwed up by not having their first FF movie out in 2004, let's hope this IS Marvel's FF for 4/4/14 ~ too good to pass up...

[GoblinScrier]

Oh come on...this BEGS to be the F4...I really hope that Marvel does have an ace up their sleeve...to me just as long as Marvel gets the F4 back, let them release it whenever they want...it will make me feel better that they have it back.

Frankly, just the thought of the F4 and the Avengers together gives me goosebumps....against the entire nation of LATVERIA and its monarch DOOM