Fant4stic Michael B Jordan is "Flame On!" The Human Torch - Part 2

[TeeKay]

Can't see it

 

[Kelly]

Stan Lee on MBJ...

As the indefatigable 92-year-old superhero conjurer and Marvel Comics chairman emeritus sees it, fan backlash up until this point hasn’t so much been spurred on by racism as much as unyielding fealty to the source material. “They’re outraged not because of any personal prejudice,” Lee says. “They’re outraged because they hate to see any change made on a series and characters they had gotten familiar with. In Spider-Man, when they got a new actor, that bothered them, even though it was a white actor. I don’t think it had to do with racial prejudice as much as they don’t like things changed.”
He adds: “But I think they’re gonna get to love this character. So I’m not the least bit worried about it. I always tried to pepper these groups with as much racial diversity as possible because that’s the way the world is.”

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

Stan Lee on MBJ...

I can't argue with anything he said. But I don't like that it perpetuates the myth that that's what people are most concerned about.

 

[Joe Rockhead]

I'm less concerned about the color of Johnny's skin then the impression I'm getting from the promo clips that he's leading the group.

That short clip where the General says 'What if we say No?' and Johnny's response of 'Say Yes' indicates to me that he's speaking for the group, when in fact that should be Reed.

You also get him demanding his heat proof room with a big ass sunroof. Cocky for Johnny is good, yes. But you don't see them showing Reed with any backbone whatsoever.

 

[Kelly]

I can't argue with anything he said. But I don't like that it perpetuates the myth that that's what people are most concerned about.

I didn't read it that way, since the entire article was his thoughts on MBJ only, not the movie as whole.

 

[RAE072]

I'm less concerned about the color of Johnny's skin then the impression I'm getting from the promo clips that he's leading the group.

That short clip where the General says 'What if we say No?' and Johnny's response of 'Say Yes' indicates to me that he's speaking for the group, when in fact that should be Reed.

You also get him demanding his heat proof room with a big ass sunroof. Cocky for Johnny is good, yes. But you don't see them showing Reed with any backbone whatsoever.

Considering he got the role probably only because his friend is the director(first one cast, didn't test, no one else tested), that'll probably wind up happening.

 

[Kelly]

Considering he got the role probably only because his friend is the director(first one cast, didn't test, no one else tested), that'll probably wind up happening.

Do we actually know that he didn't test, and that no one else was tested?

 

[Sleiek]

I'm less concerned about the color of Johnny's skin then the impression I'm getting from the promo clips that he's leading the group.

That short clip where the General says 'What if we say No?' and Johnny's response of 'Say Yes' indicates to me that he's speaking for the group, when in fact that should be Reed.

You also get him demanding his heat proof room with a big ass sunroof. Cocky for Johnny is good, yes. But you don't see them showing Reed with any backbone whatsoever.

I get the feeling it is Sue who is leading the team. She's the one who goes "we do it our way" or something and Johnny adds to it like he is a sidekick. Instead of Reed and Ben, it is more like Sue and Johnny. I have a feeling Reed is taking a step back in this movie as he comes as off as a little coward in a scene where he sounds very skeptical, but hey, if Sue is the leader doesn't bother me at all. But I hope Johnny isn't the leader, he is unique.

 

[RAE072]

Do we actually know that he didn't test, and that no one else was tested?

I remember reading it/hearing it. Anybody have any articles saved from around that time?

 

[Orba]

Do we actually know that he didn't test, and that no one else was tested?

Certainly he was the only person to ever be connected to the role, there was multiple actors that were supposed to have been tested to all the other roles but MBJ is the only one that has ever been listed for Johnny. His name was being thrown around a good six months before any of the other roles were being talked about.

 

[Orba]

Always had to find things so long after but I did find one thing where Teller talks about the casting.

http://www.mtv.com/news/1950009/miles-teller-fantastic-four/?utm=share_twitter

According to the actor, Michael B. Jordan joining as the Human Torch was the very first hire, due to his previous working relationship with Trank on “Chronicle.” The decision has definitely gotten some backlash by race-obsessed fans on the web, but Teller doesn’t see the point. “I think it’s great. It is a big thing,” he said. “You’re changing the race of a character. It’s like, ’Why couldn’t the Human Torch be black?'”
Even though he came on after Jordan, Teller still met with Trank a year before production started, supposedly the only person to do so for the role, but it took some effort to win over the studio.
“It took a lot of convincing. For me with Reed Richards, I know Josh really had to [pull for me],” Teller said. “Josh did for all of the characters. For Jamie, he really vouched for [him]. For Mike, he was like, ’This is my guy’ from the bat. He was very specific on who he wanted to play these characters. I was his guy for it.”

 

[RAE072]

Always had to find things so long after but I did find one thing where Teller talks about the casting.

http://www.mtv.com/news/1950009/miles-teller-fantastic-four/?utm=share_twitter

There we go.

MBJ was the first one cast and didn't test. Doesn't specifically say if anybody else did, but I'm willing to bet no one else did.

As well, Teller previously worked with MBJ on that dumb romcom and Bell worked with Kinberg on Jumper or whatever it was called.

Lots of favors and connections going around on this movie.

 

[Mad Ones]

I haven't gotten the impression that Johnny is a leader of the team.

There we go.

MBJ was the first one cast and didn't test. Doesn't specifically say if anybody else did, but I'm willing to bet no one else did.

As well, Teller previously worked with MBJ on that dumb romcom and Bell worked with Kinberg on Jumper or whatever it was called.

Lots of favors and connections going around on this movie.

The article said Teller was "supposedly the only person to do so."

And is it really unheard of for a Hollywood movie to have connections between its cast and staff? If it bothers you I'd recommend you don't watch any Scorsese, Nolan, etc movies.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Stan Lee on MBJ...

Stan is the man!

 

[Paradox1]

The actor who plays Mickey on the Showtime series Shameless was also up for the role by many accounts.

 

[RAE072]

I haven't gotten the impression that Johnny is a leader of the team.

The article said Teller was "supposedly the only person to do so."

And is it really unheard of for a Hollywood movie to have connections between its cast and staff? If it bothers you I'd recommend you don't watch any Scorsese, Nolan, etc movies.

Scorsese and Nolan are talented filmmakers who, more often than not, don't cast friends in pre-existing roles/characters which demand a certain type.

When they do their casting is/was very much in line with what the role demanded, as far as I'm aware.

Trank is not Scorsese or Nolan.

 

[Mad Ones]

Everything I've seen Jordan in has been very in line with Johnny. I'll give you Bell, though lol

 

[psylockolussus]

I haven't gotten the impression that Johnny is a leader of the team.

Yeah, he just seemed to talk a lot but I doubt he's the leader. That role obviously goes to Reed Richards.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Yeah, he just seemed to talk a lot but I doubt he's the leader. That role obviously goes to Reed Richards.

I'm with you on this.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

[YT]mxWuwoEZU9o[/YT]

At 2:00 he talks about the suit and how the flames work. Pretty cool.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

remember that one interview where they asked MBJ what he thought of all the criticism & hate coming from the fanboys and his response was "they'll still go see it anyway"?

 

[Man in the Suit]

To be fair, MBJ's "They'll see it anyway!" comment was a response to racist fanboy reactions when it was at an all-time high and before filming/production problems. It was a pretty good comeback at the time.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

To be fair, MBJ's "They'll see it anyway!" comment was a response to racist fanboy reactions when it was at an all-time high and before filming/production problems. It was a pretty good comeback at the time.

Yeah I actually feel bad for him because he got so much **** for the wrong reasons and that sucks in this day and age. An actor can't just be an actor. They have to be an 'insert race here actor'.

 

[Tony Stark]

Stan Lee on MBJ...

Just another reason I love our Generalissimo! Well said Mr. Lee.

 

[DarKush]

I don't think Jordan was bad in the role at all, but perhaps underutilized or his character was undercooked. He wasn't as good as Chris Evans, but then again he didn't have as much to work with. Also wasn't the biggest fan of his Flame On Human Torch look.

He's not the leader of the team. He's like the last major character introduced. And his relationship with Sue is minimal and strained. As his relationship with Dr. Franklin Storm. So you don't get to see a great sibling relationship between the Storms. Also there is no romantic or sexual escapades for Jordan, compared to Evans. Romance or sex is something very lacking in the film.

As for Stan Lee's comments, I'm like what else is he going to say? That some fans don't like Jordan's casting because he's black? He might not believe that, but even if he did, what does it benefit him to admit it? He's like a salesman for these films and the Marvel brand and he's been providing content to some of these same fans for decades now. He's not going to throw them under a bus or mess up his money, if he didn't believe what he said about there being no racial animus behind some of the Jordan as Storm criticism, and he very well may believe that it's all about changing a character, without acknowledging that maybe it's the racial change that's animating some of the hate that Jordan has received.