Latest news with #ReedRichards
Time Out
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
‘The Fantastic Four' film they won't let you see (and how to watch it)
'I want a Fantastic Four flick, and I don't want it good – I want it Tuesday!' With these immortal words, German producer Bernd Eichinger commissioned legendary independent filmmaker Roger Corman to make a film based on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four. The twist? It was never meant to be seen by the public. In the first issue of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's The Fantastic Four comic, published in November 1961, four astronauts – inventor Reed Richards, his scientist fiancée Susan Storm, her younger brother Johnny, and their friend Ben Grimm – were granted superpowers following exposure to an alien phenomenon during the first spaceflight of their experimental rocket. Richards was reborn as 'Mr. Fantastic', able to elongate any part of his body; Susan became 'The Invisible Girl' (self-explanatory); hot-headed Johnny could ignite himself into living flame, becoming 'The Human Torch'; most tragically, Ben's body took on stone-like properties, granting him superhuman strength and the nickname 'The Thing'. It was an instant success, but – Invisible Girl aside – the special effects required to bring such superpowers to the screen were not available to filmmakers until the late 1980s. It was then that Eichinger took an open-ended option to make a Fantastic Four film, on the proviso that it entered production by the end of 1992. In the meantime, Tim Burton's Batman became one of cinema's biggest ever box office and merchandising success stories, opening the doors to anyone with the rights to a hot superhero property. Eichinger hatched a plan as brilliant, cunning and diabolical as any the Fantastic Four's nemesis, Dr Doom, had ever dreamed up. By making an ultra-low-budget film, the producer could hold onto the rights, hoping that in the meantime, he would be able to set up a big deal at a major studio. If such a deal could not be made, the producer would still be left holding the negative of a Fantastic Four film, which could be released at a profit. Roger Corman, who – according to the title of his own autobiography – 'Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime' was chosen to make the film, and Oley Sassone (Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight) was hired to direct. Principal photography began on Boxing Day 1992, just five days before the rights were due to expire. It lasted a mere four weeks. The producer hatched a plan as cunning and diabolical as any of Dr Doom's Alex Hyde-White and Rebecca Staab played Reed Richards and Susan Storm respectively; actor/stuntman Carl Ciarfalio (The Incredible Hulk Returns) donned a convincingly concrete costume to play Ben Grimm, while Jay Underwood burned his scalp and almost fried his hair off, dying his brown locks blond to play Johnny Storm. Lee had longed to see his self-styled 'World's Greatest Comic Book' on screen, but understandably had concerns about the $1.5 million budget – a fraction of Batman's $35 million price tag. 'I have a sentimental attachment to The Fantastic Four,' he said, 'and I was heartbroken to think it might appear only as a low-budget quickie'. Then, just days before its January 1994 premiere, it emerged that Eichinger had bought back the film's negative, intending to shelve it – permanently. 'I feel very, very sorry for the actors and the director and most of the people involved in it,' a disappointed Lee commented. Six months later, 20th Century Fox announced that it had secured the rights from Eichinger, hiring Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire director Chris Columbus to direct a brand new $40 million movie, with real-life couple Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan tipped to star. Corman's budget-challenged yet well-meaning production would be relegated to fuzzy bootlegs sold at comic conventions and under the counters of video rental stores. Ironically, Columbus' film never happened, torpedoed by post- Batman superhero flops such as The Phantom and The Shadow. It would be another decade before Fox cashed in on the noughties success of The X-Men and Spider-Man by making a Fantastic Four film, with the then-unknown Chris Evans – Marvel's future Captain America – as Johnny Storm. A year before its 2005 release, moviegoers had marvelled at another family of superheroes, featuring super-strong inventor Mr Incredible and his wife, stretchy superhero Elastigirl, clearly a riff on the Fantastic Four. The success of The Incredibles did not doom the box office prospects of The Fantastic Four, however: it was as big a hit as The X-Men. But the 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, was a flop and a third film failed to materialise. Now, as Marvel's own The Fantastic Four: First Steps towers over the summer box office like the shadow of Galactus, Roger Corman's 1994 version remains officially unreleased anywhere in the world.
Gizmodo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Behold the Distressingly Blue Mozzarella Stick Disneyland Will Sell You to Celebrate ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps'
A new movie inevitably means new tie-in food, especially at a theme park operated by a studio hoping to cash in on its latest release. The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters this week and is therefore in its prime time for this kind of marketing. We've all seen and/or shuddered at the blue Pop-Tarts, the questionable Little Caesars pizza, and the blue milk—but Disney Parks has just entered the chat with its own color-coordinated munchies. The top image seen here is the most startling item by far. Disney Parks Blog offers a description much milder than the visual. Behold the 'Fantastic Elastic Mozzarella Stick,' an edible homage to Reed Richards' stretchy powers. There's no mention of which ingredient goes into making its exterior that particular hue, but Mister Fantastic's severed limb does come with a side of sour cream and onion ranch. You can find the mozzarella stick at Pym's Test Kitchen at Disney California Adventure's Avengers Campus, which also happens to be home to the other notable menu item: 'Invisible Indulgence,' a nod to Sue Storm, described as 'clear lemon pie with a shortbread crust, whipped cream, and meringue pieces.' Would you call this clear? Close enough? You'll have to head to Disneyland Paris to get a Johnny Storm-specific item: a mocktail (one of many new, specialty Fantastic Four drinks) called the 'Flame On' (what else?) that's made with 'mango nectar, lime drink, Paragon Timur Berry flavor cordial, cinnamon roll flavor, blood orange syrup, and Sprite.' But back in Disneyland, you can salute the Thing at multiple food outlets by picking up the 'Clobberin' Sipper' to efficiently clobber your thirst and maybe your little brother if he gets out of line: These limited-time offerings arrive July 24 to ride the wave of Fantastic Four: First Steps hype; head to the Disney Parks Blog to see what's coming to Disneyland Resort (other than the above, nothing notably blue or invisible), Disneyland Paris (mostly drinks), and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (just a popcorn cup). Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Fantastic Four First Steps Star Ebon Moss-Bachrach Teases His Role In Avengers: Doomsday
Last Updated: Slated for December 18, 2026, the film will show a clash between Earth-828's world's greatest heroes and Earth-616's mightiest leads in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Fans are in for a treat! Marvel Studios is gearing up for a multiverse explosion as The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theatres on July 25. Officially kicking off Phase 6 of the MCU, Matt Shakman's directorial marks the official debut of Marvel's First Family in the main MCU timeline, Earth-828. The highly anticipated debut introduces Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. But the excitement doesn't stop there. The four will next appear in Avengers: Doomsday, a crossover no one expected but will definitely love. Slated for December 18, 2026, the film sets the stage for a larger multiverse event, teasing a clash between Earth-828's world's greatest heroes and Earth-616's mightiest heroes in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. At the UK premiere for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ebon Moss-Bachrach gave fans a cryptic tease. When asked to describe Avengers: Doomsday in four words, he reportedly called Avengers: Doomsday 'Epic. Tragic. Intergalactic. Starry." Co-star Joseph Quinn echoed the same, describing it as 'epic, mental, Downey Jr." The star-studded ensemble includes returning Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Avengers Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Alex Livinalli (Attuma), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther), Winston Duke (M'Baku), Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor), Mabel Cadena (Namora), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), and Lewis Pullman (Bob Reynolds/Sentry). Also making major comebacks are beloved X-Men movie cast members like Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and James Marsden (Cyclops), setting the stage for an all-out multiversal war heading into Avengers: Secret Wars, slated for December 17, 2027. Coming to the highly anticipated film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the film offers a deeper look into the epic showdown led by Marvel's First Family. Upon their return to Earth, the four are willing to lead a peaceful life with Reed Richards waiting for the arrival of his bundle of joy. But their peace is short-lived when the enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), glides through space and issues a fair warning to the four. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Whiteboard warrior: Marvel is priming Mister Fantastic to be the new leader of the Avengers
The Avengers need a new leader, and given how many potential candidates for the gig have either died, retired, or turned evil, they need it soon. The multiverse is collapsing, timelines are unravelling, box office numbers are wobbling, the Kang plan is in tatters and Blade is on its ninth script. So, naturally, Marvel's answer is to hand the reins to a stretchy man in sensible shoes who once broke the entire multiverse. Yes, according to The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman, the awesome foursome's Reed Richards is being lined up as the new leader of Earth's mightiest heroes. Or at least, he is (at times) in the comics, and it looks increasingly like he might be the only reality-straddling, buttoned up polymathable to take on this job on the big screen. 'He goes from being the nerdy scientist who's locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who'd do anything to protect his family, to the guy who's leading the Avengers,' Shakman told Variety, in a new interview ahead of the release of First Steps. 'I realised that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.' With the Fantastic Four's debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now only a week away, it's perhaps the right time to take a look at exactly what kind of man Marvel might be nudging into the empty chair. Let's not forget that this is a mantle once sort of jointly held by Iron Man and Captain America. Reed Richards, by contrast, is less a natural leader than he is the kind of man who accidentally invents godhood before breakfast. In the comics, he's a genius, a father, a sometimes war criminal, and very occasionally the most powerful being in existence. If Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark was all ego, charisma and self-loathing in a can, and Chris Evans's Steve Rogers was apple pie and emotional repression with the ability to bench-press liberty, then Reed is the guy who treats collapsing timelines like a crossword puzzle and has, on more than one occasion in the comics, tried to solve galactic crises using charts. Perhaps the difference this time around (after two attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen during the 20th Century Fox era) is that Richards is now being played by Pedro Pascal, an actor who has already proven in The Mandalorian that he can project warmth, gravitas and reluctant-dad energy despite wearing a bucket on his head. If anyone can revive Marvel, it's the guy who transformed what should have been another run-of-the-mill zombie video game adaptation (The Last of Us) into high-end post-apocalyptic art-house TV. Giving Reed Richards the top job also speaks volumes about where the MCU is right now. Gone are the days of heroes with moral codes, defined character arcs, and just one version of themselves per universe. We're deep into the age of collapse and crossover, where no one knows who's running what, where half the audience are Googling 'Wait, who is that?' during every post-credits scene, and the only thing holding the multiverse together is the vague promise that Downey's Doctor Doom will eventually reboot the franchise with the sheer force of his contempt. All of which brings us to hints this week (denied by Shakman) that the metal-plated menace might make his first appearance in First Steps, before presumably following Marvel's first family into the main MCU in next year's Avengers: Doomsday. If Reed is Marvel's reset button, Doom is its nuclear option — the character you deploy when you've run out of timelines, villains, and narrative excuses. The idea of Reed going up against a twisted variant of the previous Avengers figurehead – if this new Doom really is some kind of alternate-universe Tony Stark with a god complex and a cloak budget – has a certain multiverse-bending symmetry to it. So why not have Reed face him down as a new type of Avengers leader? They might just be from the same universe, and this is a battle that has been carried out countless times in print. Mister Fantastic is brilliant. He's brave. And he's got a pretty impressive track record of saving all of existence – which could come in useful when you're facing the sort of supervillain who treats the fabric of existence like a mood board for his ego. Unlike Stark or Rogers, Reed doesn't need a cool catchphrase, or a billion-dollar suit with built-in sarcasm. He just needs a quiet room, a few hundred monitors, and the freedom to quietly map the collapse of the multiverse.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Whiteboard warrior: Marvel is priming Mister Fantastic to be the new leader of the Avengers
The Avengers need a new leader, and given how many potential candidates for the gig have either died, retired, or turned evil, they need it soon. The multiverse is collapsing, timelines are unravelling, box office numbers are wobbling, the Kang plan is in tatters and Blade is on its ninth script. So, naturally, Marvel's answer is to hand the reins to a stretchy man in sensible shoes who once broke the entire multiverse. Yes, according to The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman, the awesome foursome's Reed Richards is being lined up as the new leader of Earth's mightiest heroes. Or at least, he is (at times) in the comics, and it looks increasingly like he might be the only reality-straddling, buttoned up polymathable to take on this job on the big screen. 'He goes from being the nerdy scientist who's locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who'd do anything to protect his family, to the guy who's leading the Avengers,' Shakman told Variety, in a new interview ahead of the release of First Steps. 'I realised that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.' With the Fantastic Four's debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now only a week away, it's perhaps the right time to take a look at exactly what kind of man Marvel might be nudging into the empty chair. Let's not forget that this is a mantle once sort of jointly held by Iron Man and Captain America. Reed Richards, by contrast, is less a natural leader than he is the kind of man who accidentally invents godhood before breakfast. In the comics, he's a genius, a father, a sometimes war criminal, and very occasionally the most powerful being in existence. If Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark was all ego, charisma and self-loathing in a can, and Chris Evans's Steve Rogers was apple pie and emotional repression with the ability to bench-press liberty, then Reed is the guy who treats collapsing timelines like a crossword puzzle and has, on more than one occasion in the comics, tried to solve galactic crises using charts. Perhaps the difference this time around (after two attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen during the 20th Century Fox era) is that Richards is now being played by Pedro Pascal, an actor who has already proven in The Mandalorian that he can project warmth, gravitas and reluctant-dad energy despite wearing a bucket on his head. If anyone can revive Marvel, it's the guy who transformed what should have been another run-of-the-mill zombie video game adaptation (The Last of Us) into high-end post-apocalyptic art-house TV. Giving Reed Richards the top job also speaks volumes about where the MCU is right now. Gone are the days of heroes with moral codes, defined character arcs, and just one version of themselves per universe. We're deep into the age of collapse and crossover, where no one knows who's running what, where half the audience are Googling 'Wait, who is that?' during every post-credits scene, and the only thing holding the multiverse together is the vague promise that Downey's Doctor Doom will eventually reboot the franchise with the sheer force of his contempt. All of which brings us to hints this week (denied by Shakman) that the metal-plated menace might make his first appearance in First Steps, before presumably following Marvel's first family into the main MCU in next year's Avengers: Doomsday. If Reed is Marvel's reset button, Doom is its nuclear option — the character you deploy when you've run out of timelines, villains, and narrative excuses. The idea of Reed going up against a twisted variant of the previous Avengers figurehead – if this new Doom really is some kind of alternate-universe Tony Stark with a god complex and a cloak budget – has a certain multiverse-bending symmetry to it. So why not have Reed face him down as a new type of Avengers leader? They might just be from the same universe, and this is a battle that has been carried out countless times in print. Mister Fantastic is brilliant. He's brave. And he's got a pretty impressive track record of saving all of existence – which could come in useful when you're facing the sort of supervillain who treats the fabric of existence like a mood board for his ego. Unlike Stark or Rogers, Reed doesn't need a cool catchphrase, or a billion-dollar suit with built-in sarcasm. He just needs a quiet room, a few hundred monitors, and the freedom to quietly map the collapse of the multiverse.
