Fant4stic I think this deserves its own thread...Josh Trank denounces Fantastic Four

[Dark Victory]

All of this.

Studios interfering in films has been happening since there was a studio system. It's not new. It's something a new director should be prepared for, like a necessary hazing ritual. It sucks, but it's the reality.

Fact is, many of these "hazed" directors can still make a career. But in order to do so, you DO NOT do what Josh Trank did. Nobody's going to back Trank now that he's trashed his own movie publicly and went on a tirade online (if you believe the long posts on 4chan were from him) and aired all the dirty laundry. Not to mention the rumors of him being erratic and irresponsible on set. No studio is going to want to deal with that. Hence him being fired from Star Wars. Disney/Marvel is a well-oiled machine, they don't want to get involved in this kind of drama.

David Fincher is a smart man since he's not on social media. It's a very, very careful line they have to walk - directors, crew, and actors alike.



I would feel bad for Trank, but he's the same age I am and I had way more sense than he's showing when I was 10 years younger. He brought a lot of this upon himself. New directors have been chewed up and spit out by the studio system, he's not the first guy to experience it, and to act like he is is extremely immature. In fact, he had a model more than 20 years ago - the aforementioned David Fincher. After Alien 3, Fincher buckled down and went back to work doing commercials and music videos, then came back with a vengeance with Seven. And the rest is history.

That very easily could have been an option for Trank, but instead he chose to be an immature punk, act out, and whine about it for all the world to see. I'm embarrassed for him.

Except Fincher acted much in the same way during the fallout over Alien 3; particularly, he insensitively said to major media outlets that he'd rather have colon cancer than direct another movie after his experience with Fox around the time of Alien 3's release. Social media didn't exist in the early '90s either and Fincher's infamous for making facetious, scolding comments at the ire of other industry folk beyond studio heads.

Also, please. You're making a lot of judgements toward a man you've never met firsthand based off of a public fiasco with no reputable, objective perspectives yet -- and there might never be any. Not to mention Trank has accomplished much more than you likely ever will in an industry you clearly know little about since you're making wide accusations from public media and loose-fitting contexts. Stop condescending.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Josh Trank is that you?

 

[Dark Victory]

Josh Trank is that you?

Haha, I just think it's ******** how quick people are to take sides in this situation.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

But it's an industry you know a ton about.. riiggghhttt

 

[ernesth100]

I don't think this is at all Tranks fault, it's Fox's Trank is a great director and had a serious career ahead of him. I just wish he never took this movie, because it's gonna leave a huge mark on his reputation.

 

[Dark Victory]

But it's an industry you know a ton about.. riiggghhttt

Never said I did.

 

[The Infernal]

I never subsribed to the idea you somehow have to have done something yourself or accomplished more to criticise something. It's a nonsensical argument designed to handwave away something you don't wish to hear.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I never subsribed to the idea you somehow have to have done something yourself or accomplished more to criticise something. It's a nonsensical argument designed to handwave away something you don't wish to hear.

It's a ******** arguement.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

Most of the arguments defending these guys have been paper-thin

 

[Tim_Riggins]

Not to criticize, but you certainly have a different perspective, more informed, you can relate more if you yourself are a director, or screenwriter, or actor, or producer, or whatever.

It's not terrible to say this. Just like people who are cinephiles will be more likely to know what they are talking about compared to a person who just goes to the movie theater for entertainment.

 

[Marvolo]

I don't think this is at all Tranks fault, it's Fox's Trank is a great director and had a serious career ahead of him. I just wish he never took this movie, because it's gonna leave a huge mark on his reputation.

Trank's only other film is Chronicle and it isnt anything special so he hasnt proved he is a great director. He is a director that made a single film that was liked. That doesnt prove much. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut. And part of a director's job is to control and manage his production and he failed spectacularly at that.

As for his career, Trank ruined his own career by acting like an immature unprofessional drama queen. Fox didnt force Trank to do that. If he had kept his mouth shut and went on and directed Star Wars and did a good job and made a hell of a film he would have been set up to pick his next film and this F4 film wouldnt have mattered.

 

[The Infernal]

You can have criticism that's informed by a working knowledge of the industry, but that doesn't mean that others critique are automatically baseless or inferior.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Most of the arguments defending these guys have been paper-thin

The defenders have been wrong about everything, everything.

According to them there were no behind the scenes troubles, Fox didn't have the embargo because they knew the film wouldn't review well and the film was going to be a big hit even without half way okay reviews. Usually when I'm wrong about everything I own up to it. For instance I over predicted the film by first predicted 43mil, then predicting 37mil and finally settling on 34mil. I wasn't right about that. I wasn't right about that, I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

Fox did what studios do all the time, frustrate the filmmaker and Trank responded in the worst way possible, he is not some innocent little lamb and that is valid thing for me to write even though I've never directed a found footage movie and one of the worst reviewed films ever.

 

[Immortalfire]

Jeremy Slater said Fantastic Four would be the movie fans deserve.

But not the one we need, right now.

 

[JtheDreamer]

Oh, so he acted unprofessional so it is all Fox's fault.

That's not what I was inferring.

You act like there can only be one side at fault. You're not even in those discussion rooms or on the set and somehow you know EXACTLY what transpired.

 

[Jason Kane]

But not the one we need, right now.

Or ever

 

[Big Bang]

Fox or Trank at fault. Honestly, I really don't care between the two because at the end of the day they were both willing participants in this mess.

This **** is not only rolling down hill, it's also snowballing. Fox was the ones who initiated the rights grab when it was already readily apparent they had no idea what to do with FF. Karma.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Believe it or not but studios do listen to the Internet community in regards to films.

Then they should have listened back when everyone was saying "We don't want this. Please don't do this" instead of blowing hundreds of millions on a cheap rights grab. This project wasn't greenlit so Trank could "realize his vision," it was made so their inexperienced hired gun could shuffle something out the door, they could call it a finished film, and sit on the license for another 7 years.

This is a great lesson on what can happen when you make movies because of accountants and lawyers instead of making them because you have a story to tell.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

Then they should have listened back when everyone was saying "We don't want this. Please don't do this" instead of blowing hundreds of millions on a cheap rights grab. This project wasn't greenlit so Trank could "realize his vision," it was made so their inexperienced hired gun could shuffle something out the door, they could call it a finished film, and sit on the license for another 7 years.

This is a great lesson on what can happen when you make movies because of accountants and lawyers instead of making them because you have a story to tell.

I'm honestly glad that the Galactus/Surfer deal didn't go through because that just got us one more property back at Marvel and done masterfully. And it looks like they'll be able to get em back anyway.

 

[MydnightPhoenix]

I am getting frustrated by the demonizing of studios. There have been times when studios saved films from bad direction and times when studios have made films worse. George Lucas is held up as an example of what can go wrong when one man runs everything. Studios put up hundreds of millions and I don't fAult them for watching over their investment. With that being said I am aware that studio intervention ruined some films like Spiderman 3, and it is the studios that make horrible sequels and remakes just for a cash grab.
What Trank did that was so bad is act like an immature child tye day this film opened.

 

[MadVillainy]

I never subsribed to the idea you somehow have to have done something yourself or accomplished more to criticise something. It's a nonsensical argument designed to handwave away something you don't wish to hear.

It's a ******** arguement.

It's most lame, cowardly, and stupid argument that anyone can give about most things.

 

[Tehmeh]

Then they should have listened back when everyone was saying "We don't want this. Please don't do this" instead of blowing hundreds of millions on a cheap rights grab.

You have a contradiction there. It's not cheap when it involved hundreds of millions! Ethically cheap, sure.

Not that I disagree with your points otherwise.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I am getting frustrated by the demonizing of studios.

Yes, no one should ever dare criticize giant corporations because reasons.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

It's not cheap when it involved hundreds of millions! Ethically cheap, sure.

That's what I meant.

 

[The Guard]

Because moviemaking has so often been about ethics and not making money.