With 2012’s ‘Chronicle’, director Josh Trank brought a new spin to the super hero movie genre, employing a “found footage” look, meaning the movie is supposedly spliced together from hand-held film footage shot by the characters in the movie itself. This technique was similarly employed in ‘Cloverfield’ and perhaps most famously in ‘The Blair Witch Project’. Now it seems Trank will also utilize this technique in the controversial remake of ‘The Fantastic Four’.
When asked whether Trank would indeed use found footage in ‘The Fantastic Four’ movie, Fox’s President of Production, Emma Watts stated rather matter-of-factly:
“It’s Josh, so it can’t not have that feel. That’s his talent, that’s what he does and that’s what excites him about it.”
She went on to discuss the controversial cast:
“It is a really interesting young cast [Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell], and [Trank] is the magnet that’s brought them all together.”
She certainly seems to be in support of Trank’s vision, although some fans are skeptical. The thought of adding in the found footage feel is sure to raise even more eyebrows. (Here’s a thought: since Trank was removed from ‘Chronicle 2’, do you think he’s using ‘Fantastic Four’ as a substitute?)
At any rate, when asked if she feared that audiences would grow fatigued by superhero movies, here’s what Watts had to say:
“Not so far. Certainly the audience seems to still be really enjoying it. We’re making a big bet for 2015 with The Fantastic Four and director Josh Trank. To me, the key is the originality of the filmmakers and the choices they make. Josh is another really interesting example, who is using the vision he gave us in Chronicle to reinvent a franchise he’s loved his whole life. It’s not that you can’t make original ideas — you can, and we did it with Chronicle. The director is the key to not letting superhero movies go stale. That’s the truth.”
I won’t lie, I’m nervous about this one. The young cast, the idea that they don’t gain their powers from radiation in space and now a found footage feel? At this point, I don’t think any other reveals can shock me.
What do you think? Are you in favor of something completely different for ‘Fantastic Four’? Or would you prefer they go back to the same formula from the first pair of movies?
‘Fantastic Four’ starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell hits theaters on June 19, 2015.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter