Old MCU Fantastic Four Discussion Thread

[Dark Raven]

This will be the 3rd reboot in 15 years for F4. Marvel is gonna wanna do something different than the previous F4 movies to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if the entire team is POC. Margot Robbie has always been my dream pick for Sue but that will never happen.

Someone who I think might be on Marvel's radar in general(maybe even for Sue) is Naomi Scott. She's pretty and a good actress from the things I've seen her in.
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She is 27 years old now but bout time they start working on the film or when it comes out, she will probably be entering her 30s.

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I like Naomi Scott and think she's very pretty, but I don't really want her for Sue.

My dream pick is Lily James.

 

[Detective Conan]

I have another Reed Richards pick. British actor Kingsley Ben Adir.

He played a pathologist in the British television crime series Vera, and has recently played Malcom X in the movie One Night In Miami. He also played Barack Obama on the Showtime series The Comey Rule.

 

[BobJM]

I hope we get some classic FF iconography in this movie. We can’t get Ben with a cigar, but would love to see him hanging around for happy hour on Yancy Street.

Also, really want to see Ben wearing regular clothing like Smart Hulk, or below as in the comics. (Ben’s speech is pretty sweet too)

 

[Marvel united]

I have another Reed Richards pick. British actor Kingsley Ben Adir.

He played a Pathologist in the British television crime series Vera, and has recently played Malcom X in the movie One Night In Miami. He also played Barack Obama on the Showtime series The Comey Rule.

Very nice He actually looks like Kirby Reed

I don’t think Evans’ age was the issue (he was 23-34 during filming)—it was the writing. A college-aged Johnny can still be dumb lol

I think 25-early 30s is an okay range for Johnny. He’s a college/post-college aged hotshot. It’s long past time time Johnny started figuring out his life—something Sue likes to remind him when’s he’s goofing off.

I include actors in their 30s because Hollywood always casts up. Tom Holland is 24 playing a 16 year old still. And, understood, that not all actors can play younger convincingly but I’m open to seeing suggestions. If the MCU Spider-Man continues after all these multiverse shenanigans, I’d like to see Peter off to Empire State University, so an older cast Johnny would play into that as well.

The problem is, the older you go, the more likely it is his presence in the mission will have to be professionally justified. And the older he is, the harder it will be to buy him in whatever profession he's in, if he acting like a child.

15-19: That's a HS student -College freshman. 20-22: That's an undergrad in their sophomore-senior College years. 23-26: That's a master's in, let's say mechanical engineering, so around 2-4 years. Maybe Johnny had additional training after this as well

He's a grown man who is professionally and academically trained, so he would obv be brought onto this mission for his expertise. A 30+ yr old dude acting like a kid in this instance would be... Off.

 

[BobJM]

Very nice He actually looks like Kirby Reed
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The problem is, the older you go, the more likely it is his presence in the mission will have to be professionally justified. And the older he is, the harder it will be to buy him in whatever profession he's in, if he acting like a child.

15-19: That's a HS student -College freshman. 20-22: That's an undergrad in their sophomore-senior College years. 23-26: That's a master's in, let's say mechanical engineering, so around 2-4 years. Maybe Johnny had additional training after this as well

He's a grown man who is professionally and academically trained, so he would obv be brought onto this mission for his expertise. A 30+ yr old dude acting like a kid in this instance would be... Off.

That’s only if you’re expecting the origin to play out in the film real-time—I’m still hoping the origin already played out & the Four already have their powers.

I also don’t think he should act like a child per se. Franklin’s there. But he can still be a source of levity next straight-laced Reed and annoyed Ben (generalizations, of course).

Regarding professionalism/reason for being there, Johnny can be whatever age & still not an official part of the space mission—the mission itself wasn’t authorized, and Reeds just showing off to his family. Having his wife’s brother there, whatever his age, is a no-brainer is his mind since the trip itself was supposed to be simple/straightforward.

 

[BobJM]

Really intrigued by that Kingsley Ben Adir suggestion. I haven’t seen him in any of those listed projects, but I wanted to check out the Amazon film.

 

[Dark Raven]

Make Johnny like Wesley Crusher in TNG and that will justify having a teen on a mission in such a prominent position.

I'd prefer that Johnny is a normal teen though and not particularly a specialist and certainly not a scientist. Maybe a stowaway or maybe they're having civilian flights into space now.

 

[Marvel united]

That’s only if you’re expecting the origin to play out in the film real-time—I’m still hoping the origin already played out & the Four already have their powers.

I also don’t think he should act like a child per se. Franklin’s there. But he can still be a source of levity next straight-laced Reed and annoyed Ben (generalizations, of course).

Regarding professionalism/reason for being there, Johnny can be whatever age & still not an official part of the space mission—the mission itself wasn’t authorized, and Reeds just showing off to his family. Having his wife’s brother there, whatever his age, is a no-brainer is his mind since the trip itself was supposed to be simple/straightforward.

Maybe not in real-time but IMO the movie should start with them having recently acquired their powers, and are just now are starting to make a name for themselves

Well, then there's no real reason to age Johnny up 10-15 years if professional expertise plays no role in his being on the team. It works better if Johnny remains Sue's kid brother who tags along with her

 

[Dark Raven]

Maybe not in real-time but IMO the movie should start with them having recently acquired their powers, and are just now are starting to make a name for themselves

Well, then there's no real reason to age Johnny up 10-15 years if professional expertise plays no role in his being on the team. It works better if Johnny remains Sue's kid brother who tags along with her

I prefer that, because there is something almost Disney-esque, Spielberg-esque or some element of wish fulfilment about it when you have someone younger who gets caught up in the adventure. It brings out a sense of wonder and makes not all of them scientists but some more of an everyman.

Besides, they've done that twice now in the Fox films where Johnny is a qualified scientist/ pilot type. Making him more of a kid would be doing something different and would feel fresh.

 

[BobJM]

Maybe not in real-time but IMO the movie should start with them having recently acquired their powers, and are just now are starting to make a name for themselves

Well, then there's no real reason to age Johnny up 10-15 years if professional expertise plays no role in his being on the team. It works better if Johnny remains Sue's kid brother who tags along with her

I’d personally rather see the team already with celebrity status/adjusted to their new life. The audience can catch up through dialogue/context.

As for Johnny, maybe agree to disagree here. I’m not fully opposed to a younger/teen Johnny, but I don’t see that as his defining trait and like the whole team slightly older. There’s plenty of man-childs running around the MCU (Star-Lord ahem), so it’s not like there’s an age limit on immaturity

 

[Dark Raven]

I’d personally rather see the team already with celebrity status/adjusted to their new life. The audience can catch up through dialogue/context.

As for Johnny, maybe agree to disagree here. I’m not fully opposed to a younger/teen Johnny, but I don’t see that as his defining trait and like the whole team slightly older. There’s plenty of man-childs running around the MCU (Star-Lord ahem), so it’s not like there’s an age limit on immaturity

But you said it yourself. Starlord is a man-child. If they make Johnny younger, he would be a child, not man-child. Just like Peter Parker is not a man-child. And there's a difference acting immaturely as a child compared to a man-child.

 

[Kirmit]

I saw some fan art of Rahul Kohli as Mr Fantastic and he’s now my top choice for the role, he was fantastic in “The Haunting of Bly Manor”.

 

[Marvel united]

I’d personally rather see the team already with celebrity status/adjusted to their new life. The audience can catch up through dialogue/context.

As for Johnny, maybe agree to disagree here. I’m not fully opposed to a younger/teen Johnny, but I don’t see that as his defining trait and like the whole team slightly older. There’s plenty of man-childs running around the MCU (Star-Lord ahem), so it’s not like there’s an age limit on immaturity

I'm not sure that's a great idea. To have all of the team's formative development be packed into off-screen exposition.

Spider-Man and Black Panther weren't origin stories yet both films were still coming of age stories about characters defining their place, and who they are, in this huge universe.

 

[Sterling Archer]

I dont want to play the party pooper here but it will be released 2023 earliest and with 3 years minimum gap between the movies. The actors should be 35 max.

Paul Rudd was 46 when the first Ant-Man came out. We know for sure that he will be in 5 movies, potentially much more.

Robert Downey Jr was 43 when the first Iron Man came out, and he was in the MCU for a decade.

The only one who needs to actually be in his 20's in my opinion is Johnny.

 

[BobJM]

All of Spider-Man’s origin is told/alluded to off-screen. And the history of the Black Panther is literally told in an exposition dump at the beginning of the movie. Additional dialogue, acting, etc. flesh the story out throughout the film and enhance the characters’ motivations & arcs—I think that’s all I’m proposing for the FF.

The formation of the FF I don’t think is that appealing—we didn’t spend time watching Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl meet and form their love, etc. Nope, we want to see them as a superhero family upfront. I’d say the same is true for the FF too.

I don’t want a Ben Grimm that’s still stunned by his rockiness; let organic moments in the script bring highlight his lingering insecurities in a smart way. And I don’t need a movie of Reed figuring out his place as a leader. Those just seem like retreads. Let’s skip that and get to the meat.

 

[Kev4000]

Paul Rudd was 46 when the first Ant-Man came out. We know for sure that he will be in 5 movies, potentially much more.

Robert Downey Jr was 43 when the first Iron Man came out, and he was in the MCU for a decade.

The only one who needs to actually be in his 20's in my opinion is Johnny.

Paul Rudd is a mix of Benjamin Button and a vampire and I believe even Disney had in mind what the MCU would be in the end, so they didnt focus on age with the casting of Downey.

I would love turn back time, grab Efron from 2014 and put him into Johnny but the chance is gone.

 

[ernesth100]

Off topic: I love how people are giving Efron his serious consideration for Ben Grimm or Johny Storm. Finally letting go of the old "lol he was in HSM" stigma that for some reason stuck to him. He's a great actor and deserves his shot.

On Topic: anyone kinda sad we won't get to see Reed go brain to brain with Hank or Tony?

 

[Web-Head]

I could actually see Marvel going for Ana de Armas for Sue. She's becoming a huge name and that's only going to grow with her next few projects. I love Ana, but I'm not sure she's a great fit for Sue though.

 

[Web-Head]

Off topic: I love how people are giving Efron his serious consideration for Ben Grimm or Johny Storm. Finally letting go of the old "lol he was in HSM" stigma that for some reason stuck to him. He's a great actor and deserves his shot.

On Topic: anyone kinda sad we won't get to see Reed go brain to brain with Hank or Tony?

Hank is still possible, but I'm more sad we won't see Reed and T'Challa interact.

 

[ernesth100]

Hank is still possible, but I'm more sad we won't see Reed and T'Challa interact.

Possible, but it wouldn't b the same as in his prime Pym. T'Challa's situation is sad too.

I can see the F4 picking up a lot of slack where those characters left off though. Bringing Latveria into the MCU will give us another high tech city to fantasize about existing.

We'll have Reed, can fill the young genius gap Tony and T'Challa's deaths have left behind.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Paul Rudd is a mix of Benjamin Button and a vampire and I believe even Disney had in mind what the MCU would be in the end, so they didnt focus on age with the casting of Downey.

I would love turn back time, grab Efron from 2014 and put him into Johnny but the chance is gone.

I mean, I did say Johnny should be in his 20's didn't I? I just don't think casting Reed, Sue, Ben and Victor with actors in their 40's would be the worst thing. I can't imagine a Fantastic Four movie would have many demanding physical stunts.

 

[BobJM]

The MCU still has some big brains Reed can bounce ideas off of:

Riri Williams
Shuri
Smart Hulk / Bruce Banner
Hank Pym
Bill Foster

and more I’m probably missing, plus all that’s to come (Hank McCoy, Mad Thinker, Doom!!)

 

[thangaran]

What about Erin Moriarty for Sue Storm?

 

[ernesth100]

The MCU still has some big brains Reed can bounce ideas off of:

Riri Williams
Shuri
Smart Hulk / Bruce Banner
Hank Pym
Bill Foster

and more I’m probably missing, plus all that’s to come (Hank McCoy, Mad Thinker, Doom!!)

Oh and I'm 90% sure Peters gonna be in this. So maybe we can have a moment where his intelligence impresses Reed.

 

[Marvel united]

All of Spider-Man’s origin is told/alluded to off-screen. And the history of the Black Panther is literally told in an exposition dump at the beginning of the movie. Additional dialogue, acting, etc. flesh the story out throughout the film and enhance the characters’ motivations & arcs—I think that’s all I’m proposing for the FF.

Again, they weren't origin stories in the literal sense of the word, but they were still becoming stories.

Spider-Man starts his film from an unfulfilled place. He hasn't met his first villain yet, hasn't had his first relationship yet, he hasn't even learned the true meaning of responsibility yet. But he does, over the film, acquire all those things, and learn what being a hero truly means, and what his purpose in the MCU, is.

Black Panther tells the history of Wakanda through exposition because it's necessary for us as the audience, to know this history, to understand the events that are about to play out in live narrative. T'Challa's arc of coming of age into a king, Wakanda's arc of change, Okoye's arc of foregoing tradition, Killmonger's rise & fall that challenges the status quo and T'Challa's beliefs-- are not relegated to exposition.

This is all formative stuff in the context of the Black Panther franchise.

The formation of the FF I don’t think is that appealing—we didn’t spend time watching Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl meet and form their love, etc. Nope, we want to see them as a superhero family upfront. I’d say the same is true for the FF too.

Well, that's because the film isn't specifically about Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl as a romance. If it was, we would have absolutely seen those moments. No, it's about them as parents and about the family. And the film does not begin with this family already formed as a superhero team. The formation and development of the family ("Incredibles") into a superhero team, is the live narrative of the film. So narratively, the Fantastic Four equivalent of this, would be the same.

I don’t want a Ben Grimm that’s still stunned by his rockiness; let organic moments in the script bring highlight his lingering insecurities in a smart way. And I don’t need a movie of Reed figuring out his place as a leader. Those just seem like retreads. Let’s skip that and get to the meat.

Then what is Grimm's arc? If not him overcoming his insecurities, and accepting himself, ane his body, what would be the internal flaw that he must overcome? What would he learn in this film?

Even the Incredible Hulk which takes place 4 years after the accident, still bolsters a Banner who has yet to come to terms with his condition. Because that absolutely is Banner's formative arc: acceptance