Fantastic Four reboot is already screwed up...

[Crimebuster]

But the FF is a family. Johnny Storm, Sue Storm (Richards after the wedding), Reed Richards. Man, by altering the race of one member you have to change the whole ethos of the story for all four characters.

 

 

Okay. Make them all black then.

 

I have a bit of a hard time taking most of this criticism very seriously considering the Human Torch was originally an android named Jim. The only reason Johnny Storm even exists is because Stan and Jack decided to revamp and re-conceptualize the character in order to make him more interesting to and in touch with modern audiences. If they need to do the same again, then I say go for it.

 

I see people here using the fact that nothing has changed for the character in 50 years as a reason not to change him. But to me, it seems like a really darn good reason to change him. 50 years of stagnation is enough.

 

Not too insulting to all the creators who've worked on those characters over the years. Good job (thumbs u

 

[Logan510]

Alicia was played by an African-American and no one said a thing (I think). No one complained that she wasn't really blind either.

 

I'm still surprised that Lt. Dan had legs in real life. (He wasn't that famous prior to the Forrest Gump movie...)

 

If Johnny and his sister are both African-American, it shouldn't be a problem in my mind.

 

If they meet up with the InHumans, that'd be a multi-racial cast as well.

 

 

Serious question. Would it have been ridiculous if Tom Cruise had been cast as Bruce Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story? Of course it would, because Bruce was Chinese.

 

And no, it doesn't matter that one is based on fact ( Dragon was about as factual as a Saturday morning cartoon ).

 

Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California and his parents were from Hong Kong, so he's Cantonese. He speaks Cantonese and not Mandarin.

 

Jason Scott Lee (no relation) who played him in the movie Dragon is of Chinese-Hawaiian descent which is close enough I guess. He was born in LA.

 

Now, David Carradine is another matter...

 

 

Dragon is one of my favorite all-time movies.

 

 

As far as a black human torch. Actually he sounds like the perfect character to change. I'm all for it as long as they can do it right for once.

 

Speaking of "minority" characters. There really are not that many at all.

 

Black Panther, Luke Cage, Cloak, the falcon are about all I can think of, and they are all black. I can't even think of any other ethnicities besides white.

 

If you're a comicbook fan on these boards I'm not surprised If one is a fan of Bruce Lee the person, I don't see how they can like Dragon. For a person who led a VERY interesting life, H'Wood certainly took quite a few liberties in the telling of his story.

 

 

I don't know what you mean about the quip of me being a comic book fan and liking the dragon movie. I like the movie because it has a great soundtrack, solid acting, killer fight scenes, I like Jason Scott Lee and I knew the director.

 

Sure, they took a few liberties in making the film, all for the sake of drama, but it is based on Bruce's wife's biography on him. You show me a biography film that is 100 percent true to the facts and timeline, and I'll show you a 7-hour long lifetime special.

 

A few liberties? That's like saying the Grand Canyon is a ditch.

[rjrjr]

I'm okay with an Oriental Spider-Man, an African-American Captain America, an Indian Hulk or an Arab Iron Man. As long as the movies deliver, and do all they can to make the stories follow something of the original material, then the right decisions have been made.

 

This is the point I was trying to make. Everything you just suggested is NOT "following something of the original material." Why even have the movies based on a property if you're going to deviate from it?

 

The Avengers was beyond reproach and perfect because it stayed pretty much spot on to the comics.

 

Racism? Please, people. Give me a break.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

 

I'm pretty sure Nick Fury is Caucasian in the comic book, not African American.

 

 

[Whizzer]

Some people want their comic book movies to be close to the source material, some people don't mind if the movie version is less faithful to the source.

 

Neither view is predicated on racism or any other 'ism'

 

The End.

[Beige]

Putting aside the awful image posted by someone earlier - has anyone actually thought about the potential outcry when a Black guy goes up in flames?

 

Aside from people obsessed about race, no one is going to be upset over a non-caucasian Human Torch.

 

 

Thanks for proving my point.

 

 

 

What point were you making - I missed it.

I'm all for keeping it as in the book - I was merely saying,especially as the word "Racist" is thrown around by people at the drop of a hat, that a black bloke on fire might provoke some commentary.

I'd be just as 'upset' if the torch was going to be a pink labrador.

He's a white teenager, he should stay as one.

Why screw around with stuff just for the heck of it. Which seems to be the case here.

[Guest Grails]

I think many of us just have preferences over certain characters that we would like to see remain true to their origins. That's why I enjoyed the new Star Trek so much because the actors really captured the original crew right down to their likeness. I grew up with the show and it wouldn't have been as easy to get reacquainted with the crew if any characters race had changed. Human or otherwise. I'm not going to buy Spock as a Romulan. I need him to be half human and half Vulcan. I need Sulu to be Asian and Chekov to be Russian. But in other films not so much. I didn't grow up with the Fantastic Four so I don't feel the same way. But I understand those who did.

[Real Frantic One]

Back on the old Byrne Ward on AOL the argument against that by some of the dimmer bulbs was that Cage's "blackness" was an intrinsic part of the character.

 

Criticizing someone's decision to arbitrarily change a character's race or ethnicity does not make one a racist. Making Luke Cage anything other than African-American would be ridiculous. Would it make any sense for someone to put the "Gold" Surfer in the FF movie? What if the Mandarin were hispanic? Or the Red Skull were Italian? (Hey, waitaminute...)

 

 

[Prince Namor]

Putting aside the awful image posted by someone earlier - has anyone actually thought about the potential outcry when a Black guy goes up in flames?

 

Aside from people obsessed about race, no one is going to be upset over a non-caucasian Human Torch.

 

 

Thanks for proving my point.

 

 

 

Oh? John Byrne was vocal about his unhappiness that Sue Storm was played by a latino actress.

[Buzzetta]

In this case - you are.

I have no issue with the OP being disappointed that Torchy is going to be played by a Black actor.

Honestly, the criticism here is the change to a 50 yr old story for the sake of it, especially as his sibling is also in the story and by default will have to be played by a black actress.

I'd be just as pizzed if they cast aJapanese actor.

The Fantastic Four are an all-white group - nothing racist here - thats the story.

To change it for changes sake, smacks of desperation to grab some hype, even at this early stage.

I'd be just as pizzed if Luke Cage was played by Cochran from 'Survivor' - theres nothing racist here - move along, nothing to see, and please, put the pitchforks back where you found them.

 

Thank you. This is exactly my point. If they're changing something like this, this early in the development of the movie...it's a train wreck. It's the same thing as a Galactus Cloud.

 

I can't believe the amount of people here that are supposedly comic book fans...that care about these characters...that are okay with major changes to things we've loved and followed for decades.

It's just weird to me that most would be on-board with any changes to these properties. If they're going to change things, do something new and leave something alone that's lasted for decades as it is.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

The bolded is what flabbergasts me more than anything.

 

For the record I have no problem with Nick Fury being Black or the new Daredevil being Hispanic. These guys are solo characters. If they do a good job fine. But the FF is a family. Johnny Storm, Sue Storm (Richards after the wedding), Reed Richards. Man, by altering the race of one member you have to change the whole ethos of the story for all four characters.

 

And certain characters have certain established backgrounds. Doctor Doom is a eastern European gypsy, should they make him a pigmy from Africa? Captain America is a blond haired blue eyed all-American boy from the 1940s, should they make him a punk rocker form the 1980s? Spider-man is a New Yorker, should he be from Cleveland now? The Mandarin is Chinese, should he be Jewish? (You'll never see me coming... for your foreskin!) And the Hulk is green! (well sometimes grey, and now-a-days red too, OK bad example.)

 

My cousin is white. His wife is black. Her children from before they were married are black. They are a family.

 

 

As long as they don't cast Marlon Wayne - I still think he performed like a vacuum in the first GI Joe.

 

[nmtg9]

Why would Fox care about original source material? Just to appease fanboys?

 

People enjoy the modern reinterpretations of Shakespear and don't cry. Why are comics any different? They are not sacrosanct to anyone but a handful of readers who seem to think they have a right to expect their wishes are met.

 

If studios stuck vehemently to source material the films would be nowhere near as popular. So what if Wolverine is too tall?

 

There are more important things in life to waste energy on.

[He11blazer]

I can't be bothered to read this thread. Why not just search up the last one? I think it was Heimdall.

[Bosco685]

I can't be bothered to read this thread. Why not just search up the last one? I think it was Heimdall.

 

I was totally okay with that actor. Was there a big blowup over Heimdall being black?

 

Idris Elba did an amazing job, and I didn't realize until afterwards he was the ship captain in Prometheus.

 

[zuckuss2003]

Yeah, same story as before, same people still thinking the idea of change is stupid.

 

Luckily the general Marvel movie audience and younger people being interested in these new takes on older characters, new ideas and new innovation don't agree.

[Bosco685]

Yeah, same story as before, same people still thinking the idea of change is stupid.

 

Luckily the general Marvel movie audience and younger people being interested in these new takes on older characters, new ideas and new innovation don't agree.

 

Amen to that!

[krighton]

if the filmmakers find a person who would be amazing as Johnny Storm and he's black, and the story of why Sue is white and Johnny is black makes sense, then go ahead and do it...if you're doing it just to make a statement or to try and be diverse or relevant, don't.

[Bosco685]

if the filmmakers find a person who would be amazing as Johnny Storm and he's black, and the story of why Sue is white and Johnny is black makes sense, then go ahead and do it...if you're doing it just to make a statement or to try and be diverse or relevant, don't.

 

And that's really what it comes down to in the end. Make the change if the actor can nail the character, it makes sense in the story, and a better movie is delivered.

[passion4comics]

Casting a female Starbuck in the new Battlestar Galactica was genius and unexpected. It was the actor’s ability and the creative staff that drove the movie. Not the fact she was a woman or the fact that Michael B. Jordan is black.

 

I don’t understand why they keep making flop after flop with these movies when all they would need to do is consult an actual comic buff. Tap a resource of tens of thousands or people that would have told them Galactus should not be a cloud. Most comic buffs look at the majority of these movies and say to themselves “This was painful to watch”. Whoever is at the creative helms of these movies just lack the creativity. Getting B actors for some of them doesn’t help either.

 

 

 

[He11blazer]

Casting a female Starbuck in the new Battlestar Galactica was genius and unexpected. It was the actor’s ability and the creative staff that drove the movie. Not the fact she was a woman or the fact that Michael B. Jordan is black.

 

I don’t understand why they keep making flop after flop with these movies when all they would need to do is consult an actual comic buff. Tap a resource of tens of thousands or people that would have told them Galactus should not be a cloud. Most comic buffs look at the majority of these movies and say to themselves “This was painful to watch”. Whoever is at the creative helms of these movies just lack the creativity. Getting B actors for some of them doesn’t help either.

 

 

 

Yep. With those sort of comic book movies I always get the feeling that the creators thought comic books meant "silly, nonsensical, anything-goes entertainment for young children with undemanding minds".

 

Superhero comics rest on silly axioms, no doubt, but that doesn't mean you have to build silly, nonsensical stories on them.

[miraclemet]

As long as they cast a good actor, which by all accounts Michael B. Jordan is, I have no problem with it. (thumbs u

 

I'm with others here, get the actors that bring the most to the character, that gel well together and you have a good foundation (along with a good story) to create a good movie.

 

All you have to do is say that Johnny is Sue's adopted brother, or foster brother, and you are all set. Make one "oh, now I see the family resemblance" joke by the Thing and then let them maintain their brother/sister dynamic as always...

 

I'm happy to give up a canon ethnicity for the sake of getting a good actor like Michael B Jordan in the movie. Between The Wire and Friday Night Lights, he has shown the ability to be dramatic (plus he was already the voice of Cyborg in a JLA cartoon movie) while not being to heavy.

[Logan510]

Yeah, same story as before, same people still thinking the idea of change is stupid.

 

Luckily the general Marvel movie audience and younger people being interested in these new takes on older characters, new ideas and new innovation don't know / don't care.

 

Fixed...and there is a difference.