20th Century Fox announced their release date for the rebooting of their Marvel Universe franchise, “The Fantastic Four.” The comic book team known as The First Family of Marvel will hit theaters on March 6, 2015. With a director in place and a writer currently working on the script, the next step is to start putting the actors in place for this big movie effort.
“The Fantastic Four”
Created in 1961 by Stan Lee, “The Fantastic Four” was the first superhero team that Lee created for Marvel Comics. The group consists of a pseudo-family unit, with Reed Richards, his best friend Ben Grimm, his future wife Sue Storm, and her younger brother Johnny Storm. They received their powers after an exploration assignment in outer space when they passed through cosmic rays.
Reed became Mr. Fantastic, with the power to stretch his body, Sue became the Invisible Woman, Johnny the Human Torch and Ben became the rock covered Thing.
The team came to the big screen in 2005 under the guidance of director Tim Story, a movie that seemed cast well but remained an average effort in the same year that “Batman Begins” changed what comic book movies could achieve. While it was not a bad movie by any definition of the word, it was not up to the par of other comic films of the time period.
The Creative Team
Mark Millar advices Fox with their Marvel efforts. Millar helped create the Ultimates Universe as well as penning the groundbreaking Marvel “Civil War” crossover event. With an actual Marvel writer helping develop their projects, Fox hopes to try to reach the right balance of fan-appreciation and box office success that Marvel Studios reached with their projects.
Josh Trank, the director who helmed the original superhero movie “Chronicle” in 2012, signed on to the new “Fantastic Four” film, hoping to bring his unique sensibilities to the project. Jeremy Slater, a writer who once worked as an online film critic, signed on to script the movie, promising a superhero team that “fans deserve.
The Problem with the 2015 Release
The one big danger sign in this entire plan is the 2015 release date. Marvel is releasing two films a year, so any comic adaptation will be competing with the Marvel films. However, 2015 is the big one. “The Avengers 2” hits in May, with the Marvel super team rumored to face the awesome Thanos. DC Comics team of “Justice League” should also hit theaters in the summer of that year, with Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman front and center.
Also hitting in 2015 is “Star Wars: Episode VII,” one of the biggest sequels coming out in the near future. Fox wants to release their superhero movie in the same year as these other major geek properties, and there is no way “The Fantastic Four” can matchup to those titles heading into the year. Even if it is a great movie, the Fox film will get buried when it comes to promotions.
Hopefully, “The Fantastic Four” will give fans of Marvel Comic’s most popular family something to be proud of, but they will have an uphill battle with the release year.
See also:
‘Justice League’ Villain Announced for 2015 Comic Book Movie
Rick Baker Wants to Work on ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’
Christopher Nolan Said Heath Ledger Could Have Been Batman
‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Combining Original Actors with New Versions
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Reinvents Himself from Teenage Alien to an Heir to Batman
