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Fantastic Four Failure

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After viewing the most recent rendition of Fantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank, it is nearly impossible for one to contend that the film was not a disaster. From ongoing inconsistencies to poor special effects to nonsensical plot points, Fantastic Four failed to deliver quality in almost every element of the film. However, there were a number of causes behind the scenes that led to the film's collapse, including the misguided narrative direction of the film, the uncompromising tension between director Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox, and Trank’s destructive and sophomoric behavior during and following the production process. To begin, it is essential to consider just how poorly executed Fantastic Four was. Without getting into too many …show more content…

Fox originally had put their faith in Trank because of his outstanding work on the studio’s 2012 film Chronicle. However, tensions between Fox and Trank began as early as the casting process. According to reporter Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly, the studio wanted someone other than Miles Teller to play the part of Reed Richards, though Trank fought to guarantee Teller a role in the film (Breznican). Fox also demanded that Kate Mara was cast as Sue Storm to the dismay of Trank, and sources say Trank responded by acting “cruel” and “merely cold” toward Mara (Breznican). Some of those who worked on the film contested that Trank was most irritated with Fox production president Emma Watts. Many of those close to Fantastic Four told Entertainment Weekly that the studio “delayed casting and script approvals, slashed the budget by tens of millions from what was originally promised during the development phase, and tried to force last-minute script changes to the film just as principal photography was beginning” (Breznican). Reports also show that enormous changes, rebuilt sets and reshoots were scheduled in the months before the movie’s release (Johnston). Furthermore, one source allegedly claims that in the final phases of the film’s production, Trank was left out …show more content…

Stories of Trank’s emotionally and physically destructive behavior emerged quite early on. One testimony from a crewmember described that Trank “showed up to set late or so high he couldn’t speak almost everyday”, if he even “show[ed] up at all” (Shaw-Williams). “He treated crew terribly,” he continues, “trashed the house the production company rented for him, … [and] did a couple hundred grand worth of damage. … [S]o much damage … that [Fox CEO] Jim Gianopulos came to Baton Rouge and personally apologized to the owners.” Trank’s erratic, aggressive behavior off-set translated into hostility and lividity towards the actors on set (Shaw-Williams). In fact, the August issue of Entertainment Weekly (via ComicBook.com) claims that despite the fact that Trank fought for having Miles Teller in the film, Trank “ended up almost fighting Teller,” who is known to have “a reputation for sarcasm and recalcitrance while working.” Trank and Teller “[dared] each other to throw the first punch” in their physical conflict, but neither did (Jayson). To top things off, Trank responded to early critics of the film through a meltdown on Twitter, expressing his frustration at the studio for the film’s faults (O'Kane). On August 6th, 2015, he tweeted: “A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would’ve received great reviews. You’ll probably never see it. That’s

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