Director Josh Trank has had a tough time in the media when it comes to marketing his upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. He's had to navigate reshoot rumors, explain the casting of Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, and weather the rumored disagreements behind the scenes that led to his departure from a Star Wars anthology film. Now, regarding Fantastic Four, it sounds as if Trank will be bringing us a spiritual sequel to his feature debut, Chronicle.

In an interview with EW, Trank had the following to say:

Chronicle was all about the discovery and evolution of those powers,” Trank says. “This is like, ‘What if it’s a couple years later and it sucks?’”

So in an unprecedented era of blockbuster comic book films that encourage audiences to enjoy the fun side of cinematic superpowers, Trank's take will aim to go in the other direction. The title heroes of Fantastic Four arguably make the best characters for such an approach since their lives are forever altered by their trip into space. Sure, the Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, and the Invisible Woman have it quite a bit better than the Thing, but their newly acquired abilities have been anything but a blessing.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

That being said, it's still a big comic book movie, so with that in mind, I bring you another promise from Trank:

“The audience should expect an epic, massive, huge, multipower slugfest,” Trank says. “This movie is big. A lot of stakes.”

Do Trank's comments give you confidence in his handling of the film, or are they just another indication that this reboot might be a miss? Let us know in the comments below.


Here’s the official synopsis for Fantastic Four:

FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

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