Documentary About Corman's "Fantastic Four" Film Gets A Release Date

CBR

By Julia Bianco

Published Aug 16, 2016

Fans will finally learn what went on behind-the-scenes on director Roger Corman's failed FF flick in "Doomed."

Fans will finally get learn exactly what went on behind the scenes during filming of 1994's failed "Fantastic Four" adaptation. "Doomed," the documentary telling the story of the film, will arrive on video-on-demand on Oct. 11 and DVD on Dec. 20.

The documentary tells the story of the 1994 "Fantastic Four" adaptation, directed by Oley Sassone (whose most notable other credit is directing five episodes of "Xena: Warrior Princess") and produced by Roger Corman ("Little Shop of Horrors") and Bernd Eichinger (2005's "Fantastic Four"). The film was never officially released, leaving its interesting history long surrounded in mystery.

Eichinger's production company Neue Constantin obtained the rights to a "Fantastic Four" movie in 1986 for an estimated $250,000. He talked to various studios about making the film, but concerns over budget prevented them from taking part. Eichinger finally decided to make a low-budget version in 1992 since the rights were set to expire at the end of the year, teaming up with Corman to make the film for $1 million.

Although various premiere dates were announced, the film never made it into theaters. Stan Lee later confirmed rumors that, unknown to the cast and crew besides Eichinger, the film was never actually intended to be released and was only made so that Eichinger could retain rights to the characters.

Various bootleg copies of the film have popped up over the years, with the final cut earning a 29 percent Freshness Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it the "freshest" of the "Fantastic Four" adaptations, with the 2005 version earning a 27 percent and the 2015 version earning a 9 percent. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" earned a 37 percent.

"Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's 'The Fantastic Four,'" comes from writer-director Marty Langford for Uncork'd Entertainment. It features Corman and the rest of the cast and crew discussing the film and its legacy. You can watch the trailer for the film below.