Ah, “what could have been” – in the realm of cinema, it’s a question asked by fans, studio executives, and creative types alike when a movie massively underperforms. In most situations (but not all), movies tank simply because they’re bad, but other factors can come into play as well, including bad advance press, dislike for certain celebrities/directors/etc., and too much studio tinkering with a director’s original vision.
With 2015’s ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot, we seemed to have a combination of all of the above factors coming into play to create the perfect storm of Bad News for the film. Actor Jamie Bell, who played Ben Grimm and his alter-ego The Thing in the film, recently commented in a recent interview on his thoughts on where everything went wrong.
Bell had this to say:
“There were several things on that movie I was clearly not privy to because I’m just an actor and I just do my stuff on set. But with something like that, everything starts with the best of intentions. A production begins with the idea to make something that’s unique and original and with integrity. I think the film really strived towards those goals. I don’t know what happened between the launch of the voyage and the arrival. I think we were all bitterly disappointed with that film. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
Bell’s wife, Kate Mara, played alongside him in the film, as Sue Storm aka The Invisible Girl – and she previously indicated that she also felt the movie was, shall we say, sub-par:
“You don’t always have to learn some incredible life lesson when making a shit movie. Sometimes it’s just what happens. [‘Fantastic Four’] was a tricky shoot but… you know when you know when you’re shooting it that a film isn’t going to be what you want it to be? That was not the case at all.”
Will fans ever receive a truly good cinematic version of Marvel’s “First Family?” Share your thoughts in the comments below!