Alicia Vs. Susan: Which Character Should Influence Norrin?

[Advanced Dark]

I didn't see a thread for this so if there is one...merge it please. I did look but I figured instead of starting a new thread everytime an interview happens it could be in one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=23790

MARVEL'S MOVIE STARS: CATCHING UP WITH JAMES FRANCO AND KERRY WASHINGTON

Kerry Washington has been an actor on the rise since Save the Last Dance. Subsequently she’s worked with directors like Spike Lee, Doug Liman and gotten rave reviews for her roles in Ray and The Last King of Scotland. Like many actors in Hollywood these days, she also got her chance to play a comic book character - Alicia Masters, in 2005’s Fantastic Four.

This coming summer Washington reprises her role in the sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I got a chance to talk with Washington at the junket for the dark independent film, The Dead Girl.

Newsarama: I know you can’t really answer too many questions about the sequel to Fantastic Four...

Kerry Washington: I can’t. Every script we get has our name printed on every page.

NRAMA: Well in the Fantastic Four comic book, Alicia Masters is the character who first meets and explains human life and emotion to the Silver Surfer. Will anything in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer mirror the comic books?

KW: You really want to get me in trouble. You want them to fire me from 3! [laughs] I can’t really say but most of my arc is about my relationship with The Thing.

NRAMA: Do you take inspiration from the comic books?

KW: I did for the first one. This one not so much. I felt that I established who she was for me.

NRAMA: What did you think when you looked at the Fantastic Four comic books and saw that Alicia Masters is Caucasian?

KW: I knew. That me and my team’s idea. We knew that Fantastic Four was being made. I know [Fantastic Four director] Tim Story. My manager and agents discussed it, we said “Let’s ask them if they will go black for Alicia.” We went to the studio and asked them if they were open to the idea and they said “Yeah that might be kind of neat.” It was exciting.

My dad actually called me a month ago to tell me that he was with some of my cousins and they were watching cartoons and they saw that Alicia Masters in the Fantastic Four cartoon is now black. I think that is so cool.

NRAMA: Were you ever fan of the Fantastic Four comic book?

KW: No, I was totally more of a Veronica and Betty girl. I definitely wasn’t into those kinds of books. But I am now though. I started going to comic book stores and my fiancé bought me some old classic Fantastic Four comics so I like them more now but I am in no way a comic book junkie.

James Franco landed his first big role in the cult hit Freaks & Geeks, he went on to be a part of many independent films before landing the star making role of Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man movies. While Franco was promoting his role in his latest independent feature, The Dead Girl, I got a chance to toss some Spider-Man 3 questions at him.

Newsarama: When you’re going from a big movie like Spider-Man 3 to something very small and indie like The Dead Girl, how easy or hard is it to switch gears?

James Franco: I think I’ve done enough big budget films and smaller budgeted films that I’ve found they are essentially the same. The main differences are that on a big film you have a lot more time. I shot one fight scene in Spider-Man 3 for six weeks while I only spent two or three days on the set of The Dead Girl.

NRAMA: Your character of Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man films has, unlike the other characters, had an arc that has traveled through the film two films. Do you feel that the third film wraps up things for Harry?

JF: I don’t know if it is the final piece but I think it is rare in an action genre to have that kind of storyline through three pictures. Usually you’ll have a main character that the audience likes and goes through an adventure in the first film. Then in the second one it is completely separate that doesn’t have anything to do with the first one. The great thing about Spider-Man is that the arc of my character, the arc of Tobey and Kirsten’s character have progressed through all three films and a lot of things will be tied up in the third film.

NRAMA: Is the third film the culmination of everything that’s come before or is it just another story?

JF: A bit of both I think.

NRAMA: Will there be a fourth Spider-Man?

JF: It is possible. I’m sure Sony and Marvel would love to make ten more.

NRAMA: Will you be in ten more?

JF: I’m not sure. When Tobey, Kirsten and I signed on for the first one, we all signed one for three pictures. So the next one isn’t just an automatic yes. I think a lot of things need to be discussed.

 

[Fantastic-Boy]

Thanks for the interview!

 

[Neto Magnus]

Thanks AD.

I love how these actors never grew up reading the comics. They bring a fresh perspective to the characters instead of playing them too cartoony.

But that's just me.

 

[highguard]

hahahahahah, I love how the studio thought it might be neat, either like yeah we can try that or wow we have an oscar nominated girl wanting a part in our film or we can show our diversity and get some more people in the seats, whatever their reasonings its clear marvel movies are making a difference for some people.

Go Kerry Wahshington

and really Franco is like another godsend for spiderman, he is such an intense actor, he brought every scene he was in to life. Raime is so good at getting everything out of these actors.

 

[Retroman]

I don't think this has been posted yet (if it has apologies). Doug Jones (sporting a FF2 jacket) did an interview last week with Minnesota Public Radio.He confirms that Sue Storm has taken Alicia's role.If you've read the comic you know how important Alicia is to the SS story. Click on the link below to hear the interview.

Doug Jones gets inside a character's skin
Posted at 5:30 PM on January 19, 2007 (0 Comments)

Doug Jones is 6 foot 4, and weighs 140 pounds.

That's useful when you have to squeeze into a cockroach costume, or appear as Pan or the child eating Pale Man as he does in Pan's Labyrinth.

He says that when he walked on the set in Spain with director Guillermo del Toro he was amazed by how everyone was pointing to him and identifying him as 'El Fauno.' When he asked del Toro how everyone knew the director apparently laughed.

Del Toro told him that as the only 'gringo' on the set he had to be Pan.

He put in a remarkable performance, given that he is not only acting in a suit that took five hours to put on every day, he also had to deliver his lines in Spanish, which he doesn't speak.

Jones has made a name for himself as an actor who can somehow overcome the restrictions of a rubber suit and put some emotion and humanity (if that is the right word) into whatever otherworldly character he is playing.

You can hear his interview on the MPR site now, including the pressure he feels to get it right as the Silver Surfer, which he will do in this summer's "Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer."

One word of warning if you are thinking of taking the kids to see "Pan's Labyrinth," it's extremely bloody. This is an R that is well deserved.

Source: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/19/jones/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/19/jones/

 

[Advanced Dark]

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20070123

Decent Interview w/Payne about everything. Not specifically Surfer.

[01.23.07 - 09:58 AM]
ON THE FUTON WITH... DON PAYNE
By Brian Ford Sullivan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome once again to "On the Futon With...," a new (hopefully) weekly feature where I sit down and talk TV with some of my favorite people in the industry, all the while trying to give the impression I'm not some overgrown fanboy.

THIS WEEK'S GUEST: "The Simpsons" co-executive producer Don Payne.

When you ask what Don Payne does for a living, chances are you're going to smile at his response. Whether it be as a writer and co-executive producer on "The Simpsons" or the screenwriter behind the upcoming feature "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," he's got every fanboy base covered. I recently had the chance to grab a meal with Don where we talked about the process behind "The Simpsons," our mutual love of "Battlestar Galactica" and making the move from TV to features.

Brian Ford Sullivan: Let's just start with the basic stuff - how'd you get involved with "The Simpsons?"

Don Payne: I had been writing with a partner, John Frink, and wed been bouncing around to different shows every year - which is kind of the norm - and the last show that we'd worked on together was a short-lived show called "The Brian Benben Show," which was fun, it was a great staff. It only lasted about three episodes and it was gone.

BFS: That was the one that was replaced by "Becker" right?

DP: Yes it was - that's right. So usually on the last day of a show when it's canceled, when you get the official word - you all go out to a restaurant and get drunk and say good-bye and figure out what your next job is. So we were doing that and on the way there, a writer on the show who used to work for "The Simpsons" named Jace Richdale said, "you know, I hear they're looking for a couple guys on 'The Simpsons' would you be interested?" [Pause.] "Um, yeah we'd be interested. What the hell?" [Laughs.] So he made a call to the showrunner at the time, Mike Scully, who read our spec script that we had used as our calling card to get various jobs, and he responded to it and set up a meeting with us and liked us and he hired us. And that was eight years ago. Then when Al Jean took over the show he kept us on staff. When we went into the office for our first meeting, Scully said, "I have to warn you, you know, this show is probably only going to go a couple more seasons." That was eight years ago. [Laughs.]

BFS: So what was your initial experience on the show like?

DP: I was a huge fan of the show. It was a surreal thing. Jace, at one point... they delivered his Simpsons Emmy to him at the [Benben] office, and it was really cool to see this Emmy sitting there, I had never seen one up close. [Laughs.] And he was so over it because he had won them before and was like "big deal." But I remember my partner took home the styrofoam box it came in. [Laughs.] But yes it's grandiose, it's surreal. The first time you sit at a table read and hear the voices coming out the actors - the multiple voices, them talking to each other, singing in different voices, it's really amazing. It takes about three months then the novelty sort of wears off. [Laughs.] But it's good to have guests come in and watch because you relive that amazement you had.

BFS: So what about the creative transition - you were writing sitcoms now you're doing animation, was it hard to shift gears like that?

DP: It was a different process certainly because on a live action sitcom, you read the script on Monday, you're shooting it Friday and it's on the air two and a half to three weeks later in some cases. It's better to have nine months to fix things, to revisit it along the way [Laughs.] Although sometimes you'll go, "didn't this air already? Wasn't this two seasons ago?" You lose track. [Laughs.] But it gives you kind of a chance to sit back and fix problems you might not have had the time to do in a live action show.

BFS: Could you walk through the process a little? Does Al break the stories then pass it on to the room? Or is it because it's such a surreal show, things sort of snowball into episodes from the room?

DP: Well, here's sort of what happens. A writer will usually come up with an idea for an episode. Every year we do a story retreat, although obviously you can pitch things outside of that, and if Al approves the story you'll sit down with the room for three or four days and break out the story, you know, basic structure - first, second and third act - pitch out some jokes. And then [the writer] will take the notes from that session and go and write a very detailed outline - about 17-20 pages. And then you'll come back and get notes on that from Al and a couple other executive producers. And then you'll go out and write a script, the first draft. That takes about two weeks. After that you hand it back to the room and it's everybody's. It gets rewritten, over the course of the process, about 15 times I think. I mean there are times you look at the first draft of a writers script and the final draft that appears on the screen and there's nothing [in common]. The overall story structure is usually the same, but the individual lines have changed completely.

BFS: So what was your first script?

DP: I had a writing partner at the time, and we've since amicably split - he's still on the show, I'm still on the show. But at the time we had pitched a story about Krusty finding out he had a daughter from a liaison he had, [who was eventually] voiced by Drew Barrymore. That was the first one we wrote but the first one to actually air was a Halloween trilogy segment that dealt with dark, twisted fairy tales. Including the ones with John, I've written about 13 episodes. I'm working on one right now too that's due at the end of this week. But it's a great process. On a lot of shows you hand in a script and you worry because you think it's going to get dumbed down and ruined but on "The Simpsons," the staff is really talented - Al's a really smart guy - you know your script is never going to get worse. At worst it's going to be different but almost all the time it's going to get better. It's a good group of people to work with. The bar is really high. When I first walked in there, I think it took me two years to feel completely comfortable pitching freely in the room.

BFS: Now that you've done animation, is that something you'll continue to pursue or would you be willing to go back to sitcoms? Or do something complete different like dramas or single-camera shows?

DP: Well I'm really interested in doing features right now, that's where my attention is. Not that I wouldn't love to come back and do television. If I had a good animation idea I'd love to that, sure. But I think I might want to something more like a single-camera genre show. I really like "Heroes." I think it's a great show. "Battlestar Galactica," obviously.

BFS: So where did the feature bug come from?

DP: I studied film at UCLA - I got an MFA in screenwriting from there - so that was my goal originally. I started working with my writing partner, who was actually my boss at UCLA when I worked at the Media Laboratory. And one day we were both trying to write individually so I said, "why don't we pool our resources and write together and see what happens?" And he mainly wanted to do TV and I wanted to do features. And we just kind of got a break with television first. So Ive had the feature bug from the beginning.

BFS: Was "Benben" your first show then? Or was it "Hope & Gloria" I think?

DP: It was "Hope & Gloria." [Pauses, then laughs.]

BFS: Was that a no comment? [Laughs.]

DP: No, not at all, without the showrunners, Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, hiring us and opening the door for us, we would have never gotten an agent, we would never have gotten on the long path we took to be on "The Simpsons," and I probably wouldnt have a screenwriting career right now. So I'm grateful for the opportunity they gave us.

BFS: So "The Simpsons" has been on for 18 years - does it feel like that long from your perspective?

DP: Well, I've only been there eight years. [Laughs.] It certainly gets harder and harder to come up with stories. You know, there are only so many ways for Homer to prove himself to be a good husband and dad. But stuff is always happening in the world, you find new characters to pair together, and we always seem to find a way to put new twists on things.

BFS: So do you think it will run forever? [Laughs.]

DP: I don't know, I would have thought it would have ended earlier than this. Like I said before, [when I was hired] they said there were only a few more years left to go and that was eight years ago. I'll never say never, I'll ride this train as long as I can. I love the show. It's good, it's good to be working on a show that when you tell people what you do they immediately smile. It's a Pavlovian response to "The Simpsons." And it has nothing to do with you, there's just a lot of goodwill out there around the world [for the show]. It's a lot better than telling people you work for "X" show and they either stare at you blankly and say they've never heard of it or awkwardly change the subject and/or walk away.

BFS: Isn't "I don't really watch TV" the thing most people say when they don't like your show? [Laughs.]

DP: That's another one, yeah. [Laughs.] You get that a lot from film executives also. But there's just a lot of film snobbery [towards television]. Good writing is good writing. Theres no reason a good TV writer cant be a good film writer. And there are great films out there, but there are also terrible films.

BFS: I always feel like if you put someone in front of a multiplex or put someone in front of a television, they'll have a better chance of finding something good...

DP: ...on TV. Yeah. I watch "Battlestar." I watch "The Office," Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, "Doctor Who," "Heroes." Friday night is just my big "geek-gasm" on Sci Fi. [Laughs.] "Heroes," "Doctor Who" and "Battlestar" - you can't get a better cross-section of different kinds of science fiction.

BFS: And lastly, have you seen any early cuts of "The Simpsons" movie?

DP: I haven't seen it but I'm really excited to see it. I'm told the process has been a lot like the show, with a room full of writers. I'm sure it'll be great. I just hope I get a free ticket, that's all I want. [Laughs.]

NEXT WEEK'S GUEST: "Criminal Minds" executive producer Ed Bernero.

 

[Advanced Dark]

New Interview w/Doug Jones:

http://video.scifi.com/player.html?dlid=58455

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

He confirms that Sue Storm has taken Alicia's role.If you've read the comic you know how important Alicia is to the SS story.


Source: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/19/jones/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/19/jones/

Disgusting and utter blasphemy! Oh, and to the person who thought this major deviation from the source material would be a good idea: I HATE YOUR FACE.

 

[Kelly]

Disgusting and utter blasphemy! Oh, and to the person who thought this major deviation from the source material would be a good idea: I HATE YOUR FACE.

I love you too......

 

[Iron Maiden]

Blah.. not crazy about this deviation to the classic Lee/Kirby scenario with Alicia and the Surfer. I am really beginning to wonder why they bothered to cast Kerry in a role that really doesn't appear to give her much to do.

 

[SeverianB]

Great interviews, thanks for posting those.
As for Sue rather than Alicia interacting with the Surfer, I think its a good thing. More time spent with the wonderful Sue Storm, who I feel got somewhat shafted in the last movie. Alica gets totally shafted, but I'd rather have one well developed character than two weak ones. :thumbsup:

 

[Kelly]

Great interviews, thanks for posting those.
As for Sue rather than Alicia interacting with the Surfer, I think its a good thing. More time spent with the wonderful Sue Storm, who I feel got somewhat shafted in the last movie. Alica gets totally shafted, but I'd rather have one well developed character than two weak ones. :thumbsup:

Well....welcome to Lightnin's "I Hate Your Face " Club....we are few, but we are proud.

 

[SeverianB]

Well....welcome to Lightnin's "I Hate Your Face " Club....we are few, but we are proud.

Ah, I know you are kidding. You wouldn't hate my face if you saw it. I'm basically a more handsome George Clooney. Your knees might buckle, but you wouldn't hate my face. t:

Honestly, you would rather have two weak characters than one strong one, as long as it hewed more closely to the comics? Being canon is more important than making a entertaining movie? Remember, this is a movie, with all the limitations of one, as far as time goes.

 

[gambitfire]

I'm not too happy about this change. I understand what Severian says about 2 characters being shafted, but i feel that would of been unlikely seeing as how one of them is not only a main character and has a wedding practically all for her, but she's also going to be the most powerful member.

This is starting to look like Wolverine in X3 all over again.

Sheesh can't FOX ever have an A list cast member and not milk them?

 

[Kelly]

Ah, I know you are kidding. You wouldn't hate my face if you saw it. I'm basically a more handsome George Clooney. Your knees might buckle, but you wouldn't hate my face. t:

Honestly, you would rather have two weak characters than one strong one, as long as it hewed more closely to the comics? Being canon is more important than making a entertaining movie? Remember, this is a movie, with all the limitations of one, as far as time goes.

No...no...no.....I'm not the one that said...."I Hate Your Face..."

That is from this post...

Disgusting and utter blasphemy! Oh, and to the person who thought this major deviation from the source material would be a good idea: I HATE YOUR FACE.

I actually agree with you Sev....

 

[SeverianB]

Sheesh can't FOX ever have an A list cast member and not milk them?

Franklin, if he appears, may have some input on this.

I actually agree with you Sev....

Sorry, things get mixed up. I do like the term, I HATE YOUR FACE. It's pretty cool.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Sorry, things get mixed up. I do like the term, I HATE YOUR FACE. It's pretty cool.

It's patented!!

Blah.. not crazy about this deviation to the classic Lee/Kirby scenario with Alicia and the Surfer. I am really beginning to wonder why they bothered to cast Kerry in a role that really doesn't appear to give her much to do.

I concur wholeheartedly. Susan is getting married. She has a love interest. And she is the heart and soul of that team. Translation: she has enough to do without this plotline. There are a million ways they could develop her character without having to pull Norrin into the mix.

I'll be honest with you: Although Jess is talented, of the two actresses IMO Kerry is the strongest. And she is being friggin wasted in this franchise. Since she's been completely useless thusfar I'm questioning why the character is even around? She sure isn't benefiting anyone else--not even Ben (because all of her character development scenes get chopped anyway).

Excuse me while I go rip my hair out.

*realizes he's shaved bald*

*bangs head on desk instead*

 

[Kelly]

It's patented!!



I concur wholeheartedly. Susan is getting married. She has a love interest. And she is the heart and soul of that team. Translation: she has enough to do without this plotline. There are a million ways they could develop her character without having to pull Norrin into the mix.

I'll be honest with you: Although Jess is talented, of the two actresses IMO Kerry is the strongest. And she is being friggin wasted in this franchise. Since she's been completely useless thusfar I'm questioning why the character is even around? She sure isn't benefiting anyone else--not even Ben (because all of her character development scenes get chopped anyway).

Excuse me while I go rip my hair out.

*realizes he's shaved bald*

*bangs head on desk instead*

1. Susan getting married......check...
2. Has a love interest.....check....
3. Shown to be the heart and soul of the team.....ummmmm no......and
IMO, this is an excellent opportunity to show it.

I'll be honest with you: Although Jess is talented, of the two actresses IMO Kerry is the strongest.

I happen to agree with this......but Jessica is the character of Sue....and I'm more upset that her character was not developed to its full potential in the first movie than I am Alicia's development....and I want her character along with Reed's to be fleshed out more....if this will do that....I'm all for it....

Sorry, I'm more concerned about the 4 not being used.....
If puppetmaster is in the 3rd...which all things seem to point to that....then we can hopefully see a more fulfilled character from Alicia....

All just my humble opinion......

Soooooooo go for it Lightnin......HATE THIS FACE.....lol

Reality is.....the script is written, shot and almost put in the can.......not much can be done about this now......gives you something to look forward to in the 3rd??????????

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I happen to agree with this......but Jessica is the character of Sue....and I'm more upset that her character was not developed to its full potential in the first movie than I am Alicia's development....and I want her character along with Reed's to be fleshed out more....if this will do that....I'm all for it....

Again, there are other ways to accomplish this without going this route. Believe me when I say, this direction will hurt the metaphorical and emotional impact this film could have had. Mark my words....

Sorry, I'm more concerned about the 4 not being used.....
If puppetmaster is in the 3rd...which all things seem to point to that....then we can hopefully see a more fulfilled character from Alicia....

At this rate, no one is going to care about the Alicia character by time Part III comes around. Why? Because they haven't invested anything in her. Like I said...total waste of abilities here...I wonder how Kerry feels about it? I'm sure it's not what she imagined she was signing up for.

The sad part about this is that if Kerry suddenly won an Oscar this entire thing would shift in her favor...which proves that the powers-that-be are more concerned with star power than what is best for the storyline. The ONLY reason Jessica is being utilized is because of her rank and marketability--and not a thing more.

The same thing happened with Halle Berry/Hugh Jackman in the last X-Men film. The result? The Phoenix storyline suffered and the film is one of the most reviled at this time. LOL

Soooooooo go for it Lightnin......HATE THIS FACE.....lol

I hate the faces of the people who came up with this concept; I don't care if some of the fans like it or not--we're all entitled to our views. But I think the concept sucks and will end up disservicing everyone at the end of the day.

Reality is.....the script is written, shot and almost put in the can.......not much can be done about this now......gives you something to look forward to in the 3rd??????????

No.

This is one of those things where I can be as optimistic as possible, but knowing these characters and their arcs like I do, I already feel like they (and by extension the fans) have been cheated out of what could've been brilliance on the silver screen.

So I'm sorry--but I can't look forward to commercially-driven Hollywood interference...which is all this is. And if Kerry was an A-Lister and was being written/directed to encroach on a role that Susan deserved I'd feel the same way.

It's just wrong...and a disgusting and hateful thing!

 

[Kelly]

I understand your disillusionment....I'm sorry its not going the way you wanted....

But, this is one thing I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out on screen....and has given me at least..."alittle hope" that I'll enjoy the movie more than the first....

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.....cause I'm looking forward to see how this works out between Reed and the Silver Surfer....makes it interesting for me....

 

[Advanced Dark]

Most of the comics writing back in the 60's was ridiculous. So to expect those storylines to remain intact in a 21st century script in a 140 million dollar picture is asking a bit much. Things have to flow and make sense with the first film as the general audience knows it. They're making this film to cater to them while stilll showing the fans their favorite characters on the big screen. It's very possible that this story will be even better. Please take the time to get the dialogue from the comic book and try putting it word for word into a movie script. If they had done that with the first film this 2nd one would never be happening. LOL The writers are the ones who created this storyline not Fox.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

Most of the comics writing back in the 60's was ridiculous. So to expect those storylines to remain intact in a 21st century script in a 140 million dollar picture is asking a bit much. Things have to flow and make sense with the first film as the general audience knows it. They're making this film to cater to them while stilll showing the fans their favorite characters on the big screen. It's very possible that this story will be even better. Please take the time to get the dialogue from the comic book and try putting it word for word into a movie script. If they had done that with the first film this 2nd one would never be happening. LOL The writers are the ones who created this storyline not Fox.

Actually, as you know between what a writer originally writes and the final products many changes are often made at the behest of the studio. Plus the whole original script was probably very well outlined by the production team.

X-Men III was an example of such interference for me. I did not find that movie bad but I felt it could have been better but then again if I knew so much maybe I would be in their shoes instead of behind a computer screen writing ineffectual words which will probably have very little if any impact on anything related to this movie.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Amen Ahura.

AD, I'm sorry but that reasoning is somewhat naive. Ultimately the studio controls everything. Don't believe me? *points to Mr. 'Marco Polo'*

Yeah.

 

[Advanced Dark]

The studio doesn't write the script. They might say we want this character to die, and we want to intro this character, and they set guidelines for sure but that's normal across the board. Did Rothman tell them to write in "marco polo"???

 

[Malus]

I'm not happy that Sue will basically be getting Alicia's part in the Surfer's story, but I don't see it as ruinous to the film. Just potentially ruinous.

As much affection as I hold for the original story, I have to consider that Don Payne inherited a very under-developed Alicia as a result of all the stupid cuts they made on FF1. As a result, audiences will already have to be reminded who she is.
By the time "our" Alicia interacted with the Surfer, we knew her. She'd been around for 40 issues. The way I see it, Don payne did not have the same character available to him that Lee & Kirby had, so giving those scenes with the Surfer to Sue is just another one of the many "unnecessary evils" Hollywood has heaped on practically every adaptation we've had to suffer through.

I'm hoping we still see some interaction between the Surfer and Alicia to make up for what's lost; some nod to the way it was, the way it should have been.
I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping.

In the meantime, I'm not nearly as bothered by this as I was by Scott Summers' removal from the Dark Pheonix story in X-Men III.
At least not yet.