John Malkovich's Red Ghost scenes cut from The Fantastic Four: First Steps
In an interview with Variety, the filmmaker said: "There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor.
"When we were building a 60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child – there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version."
Shakman had previously worked with Malkovich on his feature directorial debut Cut Bank in 2014 and said that it made the decision to omit the Con Air actor even more agonising.
He said: "It was heartbreaking not to include him in the final version of the movie because he's one of my very favourite humans and one of my biggest inspirations.
"As a person who walks the line between theatre and film and television, there's no one who is more inspiring than the founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
"What he's done on stage as an actor and what he's done as a director in theatre as well as in film, and as just a film actor of incredible ability – I was honoured he came to play."
Malkovich revealed earlier this year that he has turned down several Marvel movies in the past because he didn't like the terms in the contracts that were on offer.
He told GQ magazine: "The reason I didn't do them had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever.
"I didn't like the deals they made, at all. These films are quite gruelling to make… If you're going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me.
"You don't want to pay me, it's cool, but then I don't want to do it, because I'd rather be onstage, or be directing a play, or doing something else."
The Burn After Reading star explained that he was shocked by the similarities between a Marvel production and being on stage when he decided to accept the part.
Malkovich said: "It's not that dissimilar to doing theatre. You imagine a bunch of stuff that isn't there and do your little play."
The actor even suggested that one of the most demanding roles of his career came when he voiced the character of Dr Octavius Brine in the 2014 animated flick Penguins of Madagascar.
"And I must have recorded the entire thing, every line; at least a thousand variations of every line.
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AsiaOne
15 hours ago
- AsiaOne
The Fantastic Four: First Steps delves into themes of found family, with 'combination of domesticity and the intergalactic cosmos', Entertainment News
One moment, they're having family dinners in the comfort of their home, and the next, they're off fighting cosmic forces in outer space — a typical affair for the superhero family Fantastic Four. AsiaOne recently attended the virtual press conference for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a film based on the Marvel Comics characters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) 37th film is set in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, where a superhero family comprising of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), is forced to defend Earth from a ravenous space god Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). In doing so, the quartet must balance their roles as heroes and public figures with the strength of their family bond. At the press conference, each cast member shared their own way of breaking into the soles of their characters that have spanned six decades. Pregnant superhero in space In this version of The Fantastic Four, Sue carries out her superhero duties as Invisible Woman with her first baby on the way. On what excited Vanessa most about playing the heroine, the 37-year-old said: "To me, it always seemed kind of revolutionary to have this mother at the centre of this family, but also be absolutely part of the team, never left at home on her own." Vanessa added: "When I met Matt (Shakman, director) and Kevin (Feige, producer) for the first time and started talking about Sue, I was already so passionate about her. The idea of having a pregnant superhero, this working mother, excited me so much. And even while shooting it, it was surreal because I had this pregnancy bump. "But I was so included in everything, and I was so [touched] -- Matt and Kevin were such huge champions of having her be as complex and fierce as she is loving and warm, and all the things that I think femininity really is." In the film, many scenes depict Sue and her husband Reed navigating parenthood together, as well as domestic scenes of all the four heroes together at home. With Sue written to represent the current generation, the theme of parenthood was rooted in her character. She elaborated: "I always think that the very DNA of projects reflects the experiences that you have. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps was such a combination of domesticity where Reed would be smelling Sue's socks, or Sue would be brushing her teeth - and then we'd be in the intergalatic epic cosmos, you know? "So I think Matt was so clear about that being at the heart of the comics, as well as wanting to tell a story about two parents and the fears they have when their baby is coming along." 'Holding on to his humanity' Lauded as a brilliant inventor, astronaut and explorer, Reed also doubles up as Mister Fantastic, with the superpower to stretch every part of his body. However, it is this same intelligence that "isolates" him not just from the world, but from his own family. Pedro, 50, shared his views on his character: "The one thing I found anchoring was that someone this smart strangely makes him un-innocent when it comes to human interactions and relationships — in saying the wrong thing or reading the room incorrectly, or finally finding a way to express his burdens. "[He gets] sort of perplexed by the fact that people aren't catching on as quickly as he would with how his mind works. He'll see a thing and be like, 'Oh, I have to explain it to you', I'm sorry'. So it was really fun to create idiosyncratic behaviour around that. "But at the core, my authorship is that he's incredibly co-dependent, and without his family, he doesn't know how to function and he's lost to his own brain. His identity is related utterly to his family and his position in it and protecting them and also being protected by them." In contrast, Reed's best friend Ben harbours issues closer to his heart, after having had his human body transformed into a nearly indestructible rocky being with super strength. On tapping into his character, Ebon shared: "One undeniable thing about Ben you can't get around is this state that has been forced down onto him. He has this push-and-pull tension in him, between this monstrous outside and this very human, loyal and kind person on the inside. "And I think trying to put his inner life out there and be understood — holding on to his humanity — is inherent to this character." It was also Ebon's first time acting with motion capture - the process of recording patterns of movement digitally - which he said was a selling point for him in being a part of the film. [[nid:720353]] The 48-year-old explained: "I wanted to explore this way of acting and I was hoping it'd be able to free me up. I'm never gonna get to play something like that — this incredibly strong, heavy character. "I had some anxiety and nerves about it just because it was such a departure for me with its technology. But within a few days, the fears melted away and I found it to be really freeing. I'm in all of the scenes with [the Fantastic Four], we're looking in each other's eyes — I'm right there." Lightening the mood of the film is Sue's younger brother Johnny, also known as Human Torch - a fiery adrenaline junkie defined by his flying and fire powers and the thrill of being a hero. "I think there's something quite aspirational about Johnny, the way he views space — he's a bit of a searcher, where he's always looking for answers. All of these four characters are sentenced to this idea of responsibility and superpowers, having this public-facing life. And I think he's looking for answers outside of it. In the script, he's the one who's very fully-rounded," said Joseph, 31. 'Absolutely zero humanity' In the time leading up to the launch of the film, there has been much talk about the antagonist duo Silver Surfer and Galactus, especially with the unveiling of their character designs in teasers. Described as a powerful and deeply melancholic character, Julia spoke about Silver Surfer: "[My take on] Silver Surfer was different, because it's Shalla-Bal (Silver Surfer's real name) who's never been portrayed on screen. And while putting my own little twist into her without changing too much, I wanted to respect the fans." Matt added: "Her story is so much defined by family as well, and this idea of sacrifice, and these impossible choices that [the Fantastic Four] is being presented with. But what's so brilliant about Shalla-Bal is that even though she's the Herald of Galactus and she's done this [act of telling planets about their imminent destruction] a thousand, million times, there's still a cost to her personally. "She tells everyone, 'Hey, you're all gonna die', but there's this additional part that's just her and not Galactus, saying, 'Hold your loved ones close'. There's a lot going on under that shiny surface." The scene of Silver Surfer's speech heralding the end of Earth has gone viral on social media, with many netizens praising the chilling voice Julia brought to the character. The 31-year-old admitted that the scene was shot on her very first day on set, where she was suspended "30 feet in the air from a construction crane" on the "biggest set in the whole movie", and she was aided by an earpiece giving her directions. "It was probably the craziest first day I've ever had on a job," she joked. Acting alongside Julia is Ralph, who stepped into the "rather large shoes" of Galactus. To understand a 14-billion-year-old cosmic being that devours entire planets, the actor-narrator shared some of his preparation work: "My goal was to think away from any kind of humanity and try to imagine this cosmic force that has intelligence beyond human understanding." "The way I found to imagine the destructive power of Galactus was through watching lots of YouTube videos of tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis, and imagining having that kind of power," continued the 55-year-old. "So yeah, it's a completely different way of approaching a character because they say there is absolutely zero humanity in it. He exists to feed his hunger, to maintain cosmic balance — there is no human malice in him eating planets." Conclusively, the cast shared parts of the film they were looking forward to having fans notice on their first watch, with the consensus being the themes of love and family. Ebon articulated: "There's an enormous amount of love in this movie — between the characters and the love that Matt and Kevin have for the Fantastic Four franchise, as well as the love the art department has. There's so much passion that's gone into making this, down from the tiniest little props to the bigger thematic ideas about parenthood." Julia added: "I'm just excited for people to see that it's really about community and love, and how important family is. Even though the Fantastic Four are all superhumans, they possess that very human element." The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now showing in cinemas. [[nid:720570]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
CNA
a day ago
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Hulk Hogan, who helped turn pro wrestling into billion-dollar spectacle, dies at 71
Hulk Hogan, the American sports and entertainment star who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and loudly supported Donald Trump for president, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment said on Thursday. "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s," WWE said on X. It gave no cause of death. The bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned behemoth became the face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, helping transform the mock combat from a seedy spectacle into family-friendly entertainment worth billions of dollars. A key moment in that evolution came at the WrestleMania III extravaganza in 1987, when Hogan hoisted fellow wrestler André the Giant before a sold-out Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan for a thunderous body slam of the Frenchman. Hogan parlayed his wrestling fame into a less successful career in Hollywood, starring in films like "Rocky III" and "Santa With Muscles," but kept returning to the ring as long as his body would allow. In 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse the presidential bid of Trump, who in the 1980s had played host to Hulk-headlined WrestleManias. Hogan said he made the decision to support the Republican candidate after seeing his combative, fist-pumping reaction to an attempted assassination on the campaign trail. "Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!" Hogan bellowed to a cheering crowd, ripping off his shirt to reveal a Trump tank top. "Let Trumpamania rule again!" BECOMING 'HULK' Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on Aug. 11, 1953, the future Hulk and his family soon moved to the Tampa, Florida area. After high school, he played bass guitar for area rock bands, but felt a pull to the red-hot wrestling scene in Florida in the 1970s. Many of the details of his career were showbusiness exaggerations, representative of the blurred lines between fact and fiction in wrestling. His first trainer reportedly broke Hogan's leg to dissuade him from entering the business, but he kept at wrestling, weight training, and - he later admitted - anabolic steroids. He gained in notoriety as his biceps turned into what he dubbed the "24-inch pythons." The "Hulk" moniker came from comparisons to the comic-book hero portrayed on TV at the time. He would end up paying royalties to Marvel Comics for years. "Hogan" was the invention of promoter Vincent J. McMahon, the owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who wanted Irish representation among his stable of stars. His appearance as wrestler Thunderlips in "Rocky III," where he dwarfed leading man Sylvester Stallone, rocketed Hogan to the mainstream. Upon a return to the WWF, now controlled by McMahon's son Vincent K., he defeated the Iron Sheik in 1984 to claim the world championship, a belt he would hold for four years. Hogan became a household name, appearing on the cover of magazine Sports Illustrated and performing alongside pop culture stars like Mr. T. The WWF came to dominate wrestling, anchored by its annual WrestleMania pay-per-view events. FACING 'THE ROCK' Later, he joined competitor World Championship Wrestling, swapping his trademark yellow tights for black and taking on a persona as the villainous "Hollywood" Hogan, the head of a gang of rulebreakers known as the New World Order. The gimmick reinvigorated his career. Hogan eventually returned to the WWF, now known as WWE, and faced Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania in 2002. "I'm in better shape than him," Hogan told Reuters at the time, five months shy of his 50th birthday. "I'll stand next to The Rock and pose down with him if he wants to." The Rock ultimately won the match. Hogan was inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame, and referred to himself as the "Babe Ruth" of wrestling - after the New York Yankees' famed baseball player. But Hogan's support of Trump in 2024 did not go down well with all wrestling fans, and he also faced other controversies. Gossip website Gawker was shuttered after it posted parts of a sex tape between him and a friend's wife and Hogan sued on privacy grounds, winning a $140 million judgment. In 2015, he was suspended by the WWE after another surreptitious recording revealed that Hogan had used a racial slur. He was reinstated in 2018. He was married three times and had two children, who starred alongside him and first wife Linda in a 2005-2007 reality TV show, "Hogan Knows Best."
CNA
a day ago
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Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71
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