Josh Trank talks about Fantastic Four’s tone, Johnny Storm’s race and more

Yesterday we showed you four new character images from FANTASTIC FOUR, and while some of you welcomed them with open arms, many of you didn’t. So we continue to have a polarized feeling when it comes to this movie which will likely continue until its release. That’s one of the best things about the art of movies for me, mixed feelings and opinions; it would be pretty boring around here otherwise. I digress though, we have new details about the film and it’s straight from director Josh Trank. He touches on a handful of topics and sets the record on a few questions people had after watching the trailer.

Via Empire, Trank addressed the difference between the movie he wanted to make and previous Fantastic Four films including the tone of his upcoming release:

“The original two films to me are very similar to a lot of recent movies that have come out, in terms of that kind of cartoonish. It’s just not something that me and Simon are interested in as storytellers. There’s the opportunity to make something that is challenging and tragic and dramatic. The opportunity is right there in the material. We’d rather steer it in that direction as opposed to just embracing a tone that comes right off the page.”

While Johnny Storm may have been white in the original comics, Trank talked about the change for this movie:

“I had just come off working with Michael B. Jordan and his character, Steve, in Chronicle had a lot of similar characteristics to Johnny Storm.  And I thought it would be interesting to take the family dynamic of the Storms, which is brother and sister, and bring that more into the 21st century in terms of what we consider the norm.  I have mixed family in my own family and it’s something that isn’t out of the ordinary anymore but we don’t really see it portrayed in the casual reality of the movies.  That’s something I felt that would be interesting and challenging, to have mixed siblings.”

It sounds like they are changing for Sue Storm (Kate Mara) too:

“There have always been two categories of Sue – the slutty secretary version, and this brilliant scientist version. This is a really, really smart Sue, and one that is dignified and has integrity.”

It sounds like a politically correct adventure so far doesn’t it? It could also be seen as, like Trank suggested, 21st century ideas. We have certainly come a long way from the FANTASTIC FOUR version of just ten years ago. He also touched on the minor detail concerning The Thing transformation from the trailer, calling the structure a “transformation cocoon.” The Thing punches his way out of this “cocoon” and then it’s almost entirely motion capture effects. I know the cocoon punch was weighing heavy on everyone’s mind so I’m glad he cleared that one up.

Who is your favorite F4 superhero?