In the same vein as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” 2015’s “Fantastic Four” had the potential to be the next superhero movie to become popular. But instead of ever achieving these levels, the movie has gained much more notoriety for its terrible production. Director Josh Trank’s original idea for the comic book adaptation would be drastically altered by 20th Century, who would get directly engaged in taking over the production and demanding a number of alterations and reshoots. As a result, many of the cast members of “Fantastic Four” expressed their profound unhappiness in the project, and Trank eventually disowned “Fantastic Four” (per Entertainment Weekly).
Sourced to The New York Times:
In addition, the movie itself would turn out to be a box office failure (according The New York Times) and get harsh criticism, earning a terrible 9% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Since then, there have been no plans to continue this version of Marvel’s founding family, and in 2024, the sixth phase of the MCU will see the long-overdue introduction of the “Fantastic Four” as a part of it (via Deadline). Even though it’s fantastic that they are now a part of the MCU, it serves as a sombre reminder of what this team may have become if Trank and colleagues had been allowed to realise their anticipated vision. The actor who played Johnny Storm in the 2015 movie, Michael B. Jordan, has a special account of what led up to his performance as a member of the squad.
Josh Trank received a lot of trust from actor Michael B. Jordan:
On “The Young Folk,” Kate Mara and Jamie Bell talked about their experiences filming the “Fantastic Four” with Michael B. Jordan, who played Johnny Storm and his heroic alter ego Human Torch. The actor’s response was unexpected when questioned about the amount of homework he did before taking on the role. The “Creed” actor pronounced “zero.” “Since I’ve always loved comic books, I have a good understanding of Johnny Storm. And because Josh, the filmmaker, had such a clear idea of the style and mood he wanted the film to have, the most research I did was spending a few hours talking to him about it. As a result, I had a clear sense of what the film was attempting to be.”
Jordan could seem unusual in his feelings:
Jordan’s sentiments may seem strange coming from someone who plays a superhero, but when you consider that Josh Trank’s vision for the movie had some obvious influences on its style (per Collider), it’s simple to understand where the actor gets his enthusiasm for the role and his faith in the director from.
When Jordan’s “Fantastic Four” casting was originally revealed, there was a lot of uproar among ardent comic book fans who objected to a Black guy being given the role of the typically Caucasian Johnny Storm. In support of the casting decision, the actor spoke out, even penning a little essay for Entertainment Weekly in which he expressed his strong opinions. Jordan is still a supporter of “Fantastic Four” despite the film’s underwhelming reception upon release; he even told IGN that he’d be thrilled to return in the part.
