Fantastic Four from Fox Studios (8/7/15) 1 1

[Bosco685]

Max Landis Weighs In On Josh Trank's FANTASTIC FOUR Quandry

 

"HEY, it’s 1 AM. You know what, [frick] it. Let’s be real here. Chronicle was an incredibly rare and easy ride. I loved writing the -script. I enjoyed our producer, John Davis, and our exec, Steve. I also loved collaborating with Josh, who I think is brilliant, and whose ideas inspired my -script. I fought hard for him to direct. But Chronicle was a complete fluke. We had so much control because the movie was, in relation to other movies that year, TINY. Some holes opened up in Fox’s slate and Chronicle was cheap and unique, so they were kind enough to make it. Only took six months. At the time, I was like ‘THIS IS F**KING INCREDIBLE I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING.’ I’d sold scripts, but it was my first greenlight. Josh, who’d been for-hire editor and whose only experience behind the camera had been a web series, was a smart, fun collaborator. During the shooting of the film, I had almost no input, but I was lucky in that the studio and Josh stuck astonishingly tight to my -script. But again, even this is a fluke. It was an original idea, a dark character movie with a first time director. Fluke. Freak of nature. But I didn’t know that and I’m sure Josh didn’t know that either. In the five years since I sold Chronicle, I’ve learned the hard way. You take huge hits in this industry, creatively, but that’s only after you’ve been given the opportunity to take huge swings, which is rare. A movie like Fantastic Four, an assignment with a lot riding on it, was always going to have a tremendous amount of cooks in the kitchen. People always ask me when I’m gonna write a superhero movie. I have. I’ve gotten those jobs. They’re very intense and stressful. As a writer, I’ve been lucky to work on many, many projects – and seen how different and how hard each road can be – for five and a half years. Josh didn’t get that chance, and his second major project, after one with total freedom, was one with intense oversight. So I don’t think anyone’s wrong or right, necessarily, and I don’t imagine anyone cares about my opinion. But I do think it’s important to say that if you’re not prepared going in to not FIGHT like hell, but WORK like hell, it’s gonna get ugly. No one is trying to make a bad movie. This job is only very occasionally romantic. Don’t let it own you, try not to let it hurt you. Because sometimes it’s so much f**king fun. But it’s still a job."

[VintageComics]

I saw Fantastic Four today and it was much better than I was expecting but nowhere near as good as I hoped. In all honesty it felt a lot like a movie that was taken out of the hands of it's director and remade by the executives. Think Aliens 3 and David Fincher! It certainly isn't the complete disaster some have it to be though and I still enjoyed it despite it's flaws.

 

That has happened to me a lot. I would listen to people's reviews, my expectations would drop and then I'd be pleasantly surprised when I finally see the movie.

 

 

Hang on - I thought you could spot a good/bad movie from 50 parsecs?

 

I actually can most of the time (not always obviously - even I'm not perfect) but my level of enjoyment can be affected by knowing too much before hand.

 

I'm not saying you can make a 10 out of a 3 but it might change a 5 to a 6 or 7 or visa versa.

 

You never miss an opportunity.

[Mr 9.8]

WOW! Looks like my B.O. prediction was not far off afterall!

 

“Fantastic Four” is struggling to find its footing at the box office this weekend, suggesting that not even superheroes are immune to poor reviews.

 

Early estimates show the 20th Century Fox release struggling to hit $30 million for the weekend, which is well below the anticipated mid-$40 million mark. Should the estimates keep plummeting, the opening could prove disastrous for the studio, which spent $120 million on the pic.

 

 

http://variety.com/2015/film/box-office/fantastic-four-bombing-at-the-friday-box-office-1201559318/

[Goldeneye]

WOW! Looks like my B.O. prediction was not far off afterall!

 

“Fantastic Four” is struggling to find its footing at the box office this weekend, suggesting that not even superheroes are immune to poor reviews.

 

Early estimates show the 20th Century Fox release struggling to hit $30 million for the weekend, which is well below the anticipated mid-$40 million mark. Should the estimates keep plummeting, the opening could prove disastrous for the studio, which spent $120 million on the pic.

 

 

http://variety.com/2015/film/box-office/fantastic-four-bombing-at-the-friday-box-office-1201559318/

They are competing against the heavyweight Meryl Streep in Ricki and the Flash which is selling out across the nation. If Ricki was not in half the theaters the Fantastic Four was I would say Ricki had a puncher's chance of being number 1 this weekend.

[rjrjr]

This is why I sold my FF collection 6 months ago.

 

 

Our hobby is in a pathetic state if the only value that comics have are based on whether or not movies are made and do good.

[jaybuck43]

DragonBall Z Résurrection F is also kicking butt.

[rjrjr]

Among other things he indicates he's a comic reader when he notes he's a fan of the classic issues but understands why Fox went with Ultimate FF.

 

Sony mostly went with Ultimate Spider-Man in all five films as well, but that didn't result in anything close to this. We didn't notice the changes nearly as much in the Raimi films because everything around those changes in the first two was so good. I was hoping that'd turn out similarly here, but whoa, NOPE!

 

And Avengers is a blend of Ultimate Avengers and 616 Avengers.

[Comicopolis]

Max Landis Weighs In On Josh Trank's FANTASTIC FOUR Quandry

 

"HEY, it’s 1 AM. You know what, [frick] it. Let’s be real here. Chronicle was an incredibly rare and easy ride. I loved writing the -script. I enjoyed our producer, John Davis, and our exec, Steve. I also loved collaborating with Josh, who I think is brilliant, and whose ideas inspired my -script. I fought hard for him to direct. But Chronicle was a complete fluke. We had so much control because the movie was, in relation to other movies that year, TINY. Some holes opened up in Fox’s slate and Chronicle was cheap and unique, so they were kind enough to make it. Only took six months. At the time, I was like ‘THIS IS F**KING INCREDIBLE I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING.’ I’d sold scripts, but it was my first greenlight. Josh, who’d been for-hire editor and whose only experience behind the camera had been a web series, was a smart, fun collaborator. During the shooting of the film, I had almost no input, but I was lucky in that the studio and Josh stuck astonishingly tight to my -script. But again, even this is a fluke. It was an original idea, a dark character movie with a first time director. Fluke. Freak of nature. But I didn’t know that and I’m sure Josh didn’t know that either. In the five years since I sold Chronicle, I’ve learned the hard way. You take huge hits in this industry, creatively, but that’s only after you’ve been given the opportunity to take huge swings, which is rare. A movie like Fantastic Four, an assignment with a lot riding on it, was always going to have a tremendous amount of cooks in the kitchen. People always ask me when I’m gonna write a superhero movie. I have. I’ve gotten those jobs. They’re very intense and stressful. As a writer, I’ve been lucky to work on many, many projects – and seen how different and how hard each road can be – for five and a half years. Josh didn’t get that chance, and his second major project, after one with total freedom, was one with intense oversight. So I don’t think anyone’s wrong or right, necessarily, and I don’t imagine anyone cares about my opinion. But I do think it’s important to say that if you’re not prepared going in to not FIGHT like hell, but WORK like hell, it’s gonna get ugly. No one is trying to make a bad movie. This job is only very occasionally romantic. Don’t let it own you, try not to let it hurt you. Because sometimes it’s so much f**king fun. But it’s still a job."

 

I hope he writes scripts better than he posts.

[TheLiamSturgess]

Among other things he indicates he's a comic reader when he notes he's a fan of the classic issues but understands why Fox went with Ultimate FF.

 

Sony mostly went with Ultimate Spider-Man in all five films as well, but that didn't result in anything close to this. We didn't notice the changes nearly as much in the Raimi films because everything around those changes in the first two was so good. I was hoping that'd turn out similarly here, but whoa, NOPE!

 

And Avengers is a blend of Ultimate Avengers and 616 Avengers.

 

I'd also like to point out that these are largely original interpretations as well, with some aspects of the plots and characters created completely from scratch. For example, Phil Coulson as the obvious one - but also the way the Inhumans are appearing, the obvious lack of mutants in the MCU. I'd rather not think of them as 616 or Ultimate versions, but let the MCU stand almost entirely on its own. As long as they make the characters good, then I'm on board.

 

All of that said, I'm a huge hypocrite because I will always be on the side of the 616 details taking precedence.

[gadzukes]

Can Marvel sue Fox for wrecking their awesome characters?

 

Remember, Marvels name is still attached to this movie. Fox basically just hurt the Marvel brand. Does Marvel really want their logo at the start of this movie? Can they remove it?

[Chris_Skeleton]

Can Marvel sue Fox for wrecking their awesome characters?

 

Remember, Marvels name is still attached to this movie. Fox basically just hurt the Marvel brand. Does Marvel really want their logo at the start of this movie? Can they remove it?

 

No way any kind of lawsuit can go through, but I was wondering how bad this will hurt Marvel Studios films. Does the general public differentiate between Marvel studios and other Marvel based films from Sony and Fox, etc.?

[WernerVonDoom]

I just had a crazy thought:

 

Josh Trank did say he had a comic collection. What if he is a huge FF fan and decided to make the worst adaptation possible to force Fox to sell the rights back to Marvel? What a sad, tragic, and heroic tale that would be. He knew he was going to take massive heat but decided to suffer in silence for the good of us all. Now that is a story that needs to be turned into a movie.

[gadzukes]

I just had a crazy thought:

 

Josh Trank did say he had a comic collection. What if he is a huge FF fan and decided to make the worst adaptation possible to force Fox to sell the rights back to Marvel? What a sad, tragic, and heroic tale that would be. He knew he was going to take massive heat but decided to suffer in silence for the good of us all. Now that is a story that needs to be turned into a movie.

 

With that thought in mind, let's petition for Josh to direct the next Xmen & Spiderman movies.

[TheLiamSturgess]

I just had a crazy thought:

 

Josh Trank did say he had a comic collection. What if he is a huge FF fan and decided to make the worst adaptation possible to force Fox to sell the rights back to Marvel? What a sad, tragic, and heroic tale that would be. He knew he was going to take massive heat but decided to suffer in silence for the good of us all. Now that is a story that needs to be turned into a movie.

 

With that thought in mind, let's petition for Josh to direct the next Xmen & Spiderman movies.

 

Nonononono! Leave Spider-Man the way it is. We got lucky enough with joint rights, let's not mess with the system

Edited August 8, 2015 by Liaton-9000

[TheLiamSturgess]

Can Marvel sue Fox for wrecking their awesome characters?

 

Remember, Marvels name is still attached to this movie. Fox basically just hurt the Marvel brand. Does Marvel really want their logo at the start of this movie? Can they remove it?

 

No way any kind of lawsuit can go through, but I was wondering how bad this will hurt Marvel Studios films. Does the general public differentiate between Marvel studios and other Marvel based films from Sony and Fox, etc.?

 

I sincerely doubt it. I think once people hear it sucks, they'll just ignore it and see Pixels instead. The Marvel logo is only attached to it very briefly and loosely.

 

The people who care about the MCU understand the difference at this point.

[Mr Sneeze]

I went out earlier this evening to see the film. While I am sure to be in a very very very very very very small minority - I actually thought it was pretty good. I thought it played well from beginning to end. To each his own I guess.

[Goldeneye]

I just had a crazy thought:

 

Josh Trank did say he had a comic collection. What if he is a huge FF fan and decided to make the worst adaptation possible to force Fox to sell the rights back to Marvel? What a sad, tragic, and heroic tale that would be. He knew he was going to take massive heat but decided to suffer in silence for the good of us all. Now that is a story that needs to be turned into a movie.

 

With that thought in mind, let's petition for Josh to direct the next Xmen & Spiderman movies.

 

Nonononono! Leave Spider-Man the way it is. We got lucky enough with joint rights, let's not mess with the system

Spider-Man needs to be directed by Danny Boyle

[gadzukes]

I went out earlier this evening to see the film. While I am sure to be in a very very very very very very small minority - I actually thought it was pretty good. I thought it played well from beginning to end. To each his own I guess.

 

Can you elaborate a little about the things you specifically liked, and how it "played well". Many critics have stated that it actually starts ok, but falls off the tracks in the last 1/3 of the movie. Since you are the 1st person I've heard that likes it, I just wanted to hear a little bit more of your take on it.

 

I have a thought that most people are going into it with such low expectations now that it is playing better than their low expectations.

Edited August 8, 2015 by gadzukes

[Mr 9.8]

Some very interesting updates on the Trank turning on his own picture story.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/07/fantastic-four-josh-trank-tweet

 

Even though major reshoots were undertaken to create a more action-oriented conclusion, the pair denied rumors that Trank had been effectively dismissed from Fantastic Four while Kinberg and the studio retooled the climax. Trank also insisted this rumored discord didn’t lead to Lucasfilm dropping him from a planned Star Wars stand-alone film, which sources say was centered on a -script about Boba Fett — written by Kinberg.

 

“I want to do something original after this because I’ve been living under public scrutiny, as you’ve seen, for the last four years of my life,” Trank told the Los Angeles Times. “And it’s not healthy for me right now in my life. I want to do something that’s below the radar.”

 

Those remarks were already being met with skepticism.

 

UPDATE #1: Sources close to those films say, without question, Trank was fired from the movie after Lucasfilm executives investigated rumors of his behavior on set and feared he would be too chaotic to trust with one of the stand-alone movies.

 

Trank’s tweet as Fantastic Four hits theaters unraveled the entire facade. Based on his own words, we now know that Trank had been removed from the film, was not happy with the final cut, and he wanted the world to understand that the movie being demolished by critics was not the one he wanted to make.

 

That reshot climax, by the way, is the main thing singled out in many reviews for being out of sync with the rest of the film and the character development that came before. So… that leads to another question:

 

What did Josh Trank do?

 

It’s the same five words, but they have a different meaning now: What was Trank’s contribution to this film? What was his original vision? And would that version of Fantastic Four have been better received by critics? Right now, we don’t know how moviegoers will respond — although we’ll have an answer by Monday.

 

Keep in mind, Steven Spielberg was nearly fired from Jaws. Francis Ford Coppola faced the same threat on The Godfather. No one is claiming Trank is at that talent level, and he definitely didn’t survive the way they did. But it’s possible to be a great storyteller, crafting an ambitious film, and still run afoul of a studio — which may value quality and innovation, sure, but more often prefers budgetary discipline and adherence to a proven formula.

 

This is why filmmakers with distinct vision, like Shaun of the Dead’s Edgar Wright and Selma’s Ava DuVernay, choose to step away from expensive, studio-tentpole comic-book movies before having to endure the inevitable compromises they bring.

 

UPDATE #2: Since this article was published, several high level sources close to Fantastic Four – spoken to independently of each other – have told EW the rift on set was not about creative differences but rather destructive and combative behavior Trank demonstrated toward the crew, producers, studio and even the stars. When he was wooed by Fox for Fantastic Four, the movie had no set limits. But as the green-light loomed, Trank was indecisive and repeatedly requested sweeping changes that caused studio confidence to plummet. During photography, Trank’s personal disputes – like extreme, perhaps deliberate damage done to the house he was renting – eventually manifested on set as hostility and frustration toward the cast and crew.

 

There’s a reason Trank’s tweet has caused such an uproar and raised so many questions. Until now, everyone involved in Fantastic Four has been so busy denying there was any disruption or chaos on set or between the filmmaking team that Trank’s burst of truth and despair is difficult to interpret – even by those who have been trying to follow the developments on the film closely. Is this merely more evidence of the erratic behavior those who worked on the movie have discussed anonymously in the press?

 

Or… let’s give Trank the benefit of the doubt, just for a moment. Might Trank actually be the injured party here? That’s what was suggested by Max Landis, the screenwriter of Chronicle, who has previously directed sarcasm and scorn Trank’s way when the Star Wars film fell through. Although Landis wasn’t involved in Fantastic Four, he seemed to side with his former director on Thursday night.

 

To read the whole story just click on the link.

[Mr Sneeze]

I went out earlier this evening to see the film. While I am sure to be in a very very very very very very small minority - I actually thought it was pretty good. I thought it played well from beginning to end. To each his own I guess.

 

Can you elaborate a little about the things you specifically liked, and how it "played well". Many critics have stated that it actually starts ok, but falls off the tracks in the last 1/3 of the movie. Since you are the 1st person I've heard that likes it, I just wanted to hear a little bit more of your take on it.

 

I have a thought that most people are going into it with such low expectations now that it is playing better than their low expectations.

 

Difficult to say because I was aware of the bad press/reviews so I had this idea that it was going to start off well but go off the rails at some point. That being said the movie made it's own logical progression that made sense - to me at least. If Trank's vision was messed with then I am sure a darker scarier movie lies underneath because this movie plays as a horror story - in a way. My instinct tells me this had more of an arthouse direction and if that's the case it's too bad they didn't go with it (purely speculation on my part). I think this could have been really cool and I still think it's pretty cool. I would really like to see the film from a year ago!

 

But! This is not the FF of the masses and I think that's where a lot of the negativity is coming from and fair enough.

 

A few things I liked...

 

I thought it was well acted throughout - not just at the beginning.

Sue was a powerful member of the team - Byrne's greatest modification/change to the FF!

I thought the Thing was really well done, I thought there was a pathos there, I felt like Reed felt truly horrible for doing that to him.

 

I don't go to superhero movies with as critical an eye as I may view other films so I can be quite forgiving of the genre. Though it's plausible the low expectations played a part in my enjoyment I think I would of liked the film anyways and I certainly do not want to sound apologetic for liking it.