Director Tim Story's Fantastic Four films from the 2000s were widely criticized for their campy depiction of the iconic comic book superhero team. Actor Michael Chiklis, known for his performance as Ben Grimm in those films, recently discussed them and shared some advice for any future Fantastic Four projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Chiklis commented on the uncomfortable costume he had to wear before adding that it was an "amazing experience." Shifting the discussion to future films, the actor said, "Just understand, the real tone and tenor of The Fantastic Four is as we did it. It's not meant to be dark and brooding. It's never going to be The Dark Knight. Don't try to make it that. Don't expect it to be that. The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing was from Brooklyn and he was a Dodgers fan. They were a sweet family and that's the way it's meant to be. It wasn't meant to be hardcore and dark and brooding. Try to make it that, you will fail."
Following the success of superhero film franchises such as Spider-Man and X-Men, Fox released Fantastic Four -- a project that had been in development for several decades -- based on Marvel Comics' iconic family of superheroes. Along with Chiklis as The Thing, Fantastic Four starred Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom.
While the film wasn't well-received by critics, it grossed $333.5 million at the box office and spawned a sequel: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The sequel, though seen as a marked improvement over the original, was still poorly received by critics and earned a modest $301.9 million at the box office.
In the years that followed, rather than continue the film series, Fox announced plans to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise. In 2015, director Josh Trank's reboot project was released. Alongside a brand new cast of superheroes, the film introduced a far darker tone than previous Fantastic Four films and reimagined the team's origin story. Audiences did not enjoy the release and among fans of the Fantastic Four, Trank's film has gained a certain level of infamy.
Since 2019, when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, there has been speculation concerning the introduction of the Fantastic Four to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Watts is currently attached to direct an upcoming Fantastic Four film and was recently rumored to have begun casting. However, other rumors suggest audiences may see other variants or characters from the Fantastic Four soon, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. These rumors have not been officially confirmed.
Source: Screen Rant