Perhaps no comic-book movie in the works has suffered as much derision from fans ahead of release as Josh Trank’s upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, which the director has promised will be “grounded” and approach the characters in a new light. A few weeks ago, possible plot details for the Fox tentpole leaked online, and many fans were infuriated by what they revealed. Doctor Doom as an “anti-social Eastern European computer programmer and hacktivist?” A mood ring-esque Human Torch?? “Genius convenience store clerk” Reed Richards???
Unfortunately, the nightmare’s not over for those fans angered by the plot details, as IGN has confirmed with Fox that at least the following part of the leaked description is accurate:
“THE FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.”
The key thing here is that the N-Zone showed up in both the leaked description and the just-confirmed plot synopsis, suggesting that at least some of what was previously reported was legitimate. Trank is going for a grittier, more realistic Fantastic Four, which explains why the usually megalomaniacal Doom has been made over into a hacktivist, but the changes may be too much for fans to stomach.
The Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm and Toby Kebbell as Victor Doomashev. The flick opens August 7th, 2015.
Tell us, are you okay with Trank “re-imagining” the characters, or would you have rather Fox delivered a more straightforward adaptation of the comics?