Fantastic Four 2 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

For the Silver Surfer fans dying to see his spin-off movie, this will come as a bitter disappointment. AMC's SciFi Scanner caught up with J. Michael Straczynski and asked him about the status of his Silver Surfer script. Not surprisingly, it is in the dead zone.

"Whether or not it ever gets made, I don't know, because they were kind of disappointed in how Fantastic Four 2 did. And given how this will be a subset of FF2 in terms of the marketing strategy, I think there is hesitation there about putting it forward. The script is pretty good, I like it, but whether or not it goes into production, I have no idea."

Silver Surfer would have taken place minutes after Fantastic Four 2 ended, and his surfboard raced back to his open arms. "You find out why Silver Surfer was there and what happened to him. We would have seen Galactus, his home world, what happened and him trying to get back there, because now that he's betrayed Galactus, he's concerned his home world might be in jeopardy."

While out at SXSW, Cinematical's Scott Weinberg and I had a chat about Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and we both agreed it was a pretty good flick. Naturally, it wasn't dark and intense enough for the hardcore fans, but we kinda liked the fact that there was this comic book film that was made for actual kids, as well as fans. It was goofy, fun, exciting and cool. Best comic flick ever? Hardly. But definitely worthy of another sequel.

Alas, according to Chris Evans (aka Johnny Storm), it would appear a third Fantastic Four is not in the cards. He tells MTV, "I'm pretty sure we won't do [another] one. I'm assuming that one is a closed book." Evans later went into a tad more detail: "After the first one was released we got wind of potential titles and plots [almost immediately], and I've heard nothing from anyone at Fox [yet]. We had all planned on doing [another] one but if there were going to be a third I think a week after the second one was released we would have heard." Too bad.

There's always a chance, however, that Johnny Storm will show up in another comic book flick; either a Silver Surfer solo film or, perhaps, a completely different hero. Will he do it if he's offered the part? "Absolutely. If Johnny Storm wanted to make a pop in appearance in one of those movies that would be a treat."

What say you? Were you hoping for a Fantastic Four 3?

I'm fine with the government providing financial assistance to the movie industry (via subsidies and such), but when it is directly involved with the marketing of a film, I think that's a bit too much. The U.S. Mint has gotten together with * the Franklin Mint and 20th Century Fox to create a limited edition version of the U.S. quarter that features an image of the Silver Surfer on the tails side. These coins, which have already been released into circulation, also include the address for the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer website. There are only a total of 40,000 out there, so if you manage to find one, you might not want to go and use it in a vending machine; you should probably hold on to it. Besides the fact that it's a collectible (people are already selling them on eBay), there's also a contest open only to people who find one of the coins -- with the prize being a trip to the London premiere of FF:ROTSS.

Recently another government agency, the U.S. Postal Service, participated in movie marketing by placing 400 R2D2 mailboxes on sidewalks throughout the country. Of course, this was to celebrate the anniversary of a movie (also released by Fox) that has become something of a national treasure. The Silver Surfer coins are less forgivable because they advertise a new release that may not even be a big success. For that reason, the stunt seems to imply that our government agencies are for sale to advertising agencies. What, now, would stop the Federal Reserve from replacing George Washington with Spider-Man on limited edition one-dollar bills? How about we offer up the sides of government buildings and vehicles (including military vehicles, too) for logos and billboards? And why not have the President tell us to drink Coca-Cola at the end of his State of the Union speech?

*For a follow-up on this story, which points out that the U.S. Mint was not involved, check out the following post:
Silver Surfer Quarters Are Not Legal Currency

Regular readers know I'm an avid fan of the Fantastic Four -- as a comic book, that is, not as a movie. Although I did enjoy parts of the first film, like most geeks I was more than slightly disappointed with the final outcome. However, director Tim Story has made many adjustments in the downtime between movies, largely due to the disappointed outcry of the geek community, and is making an attempt to come back strong with his second installment, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I've been covering all news with optimism, largely because it seems as though most of the steps taken by Story and company have been good ones. I keep insisting hope springs eternal, and I've repeatedly said I'm willing -- and eager -- to give the franchise a second chance.

And now, the time is upon us: Shooting has begun on the new film, and Story has updated his blog with some early thoughts from the set. From this point on, things get serious, and we move from talking a good game to actually playing one. So, stay tuned to CinematicaI and I promise I'll be all over the Fantastic Four news looking for signs of hope or despair.

Andre Braugher is a mystery man currently when it comes to Tim Story's upcoming Fantastic Four sequel. We have no idea what he'll be doing in the second movie translation of The World's Greatest Comic Magazine -- but we know he'll be in there somewhere, because of a Variety article about Forest Whitaker taking a guest role on TV's E.R. Stick with me here, it'll make sense eventually. Whitaker will be in a "multi-episode story arc" for E.R. this season as a stroke patient, but he was not the original choice for the role. Instead, he will be replacing ... you guessed it ... Andre Braugher, who had to back out of his original commitment to the show so he can "co-star" (their word, not mine) in the new Four flick.

Co-star? Not a bad gig to land, although it makes you wonder who he'll be playing. Definitely a step up in the world from "hospital patient who has a stroke." Stay tuned to Cinematical for further updates as they become available.

Doug Jones has been making ridiculously thinly veiled hints about taking on the role of the Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four sequel. Due to ongoing contract negotiations, Jones has been unable to officially announce his role in the film, but he sure has been suggestive about the part. The general consensus from the geek community is very positive regarding the potential appointment, and director Tim Story himself commented on it recently, but even he was not straightforward about the deal.

A tipster to AICN met our boy Doug at his local comic book store, and asked Jones about the part. Jones told the tipster contracts were being signed and he would be in Canada in three weeks to begin shooting. No clever wordplay or disguised comments anymore, just an up front acknowledgment of the role. So we can finally stop pretending like it isn't official, and just call Mr. Jones the Surfer. Keep in mind, this just means he'll be doing the bodywork for overlaid CGI effects from WETA, there's no promise yet of voice work as far as I am aware. But at least he's in there, and putting Doug Jones in your geek movie -- especially teamed with WETA -- gives it an instant boost in my opinion.

Remember when Julian McMahon wasn't going to be returning for the next Fantastic Four film? That rumor was rather persistent for a bit, and then got blown out of the water by director Tim Story, who was assured us if Doom was coming back, so was McMahon. I had split opinions on this matter, because (like most fans) I severely frown upon switching main character actors partway through a franchise ... but I also strongly disliked the casting in the first place. We're now getting some clarity on the issue, and it seems as if McMahon will only be partly returning, if recent rumors are to be believed.

The new word on the rumor mill is suggesting McMahon will be providing the voice only for Doctor Doom. Maybe the guy isn't interested in portraying a character who will never be seen apart from a mask (V for Vendetta had this problem, you may recall), or maybe the studio wanted to go with someone who had a more intimidating build to fill out the most evil cape in Marveldom. Whatever the case, the name on the street is currently Chris Showerman to embody the physical aspect of Victor Von Doom.

Shame they can't replace the voice as well, though. I've always imagined Doom as a far more intimidating vocalist than our friend McMahon.

If you are of the geek persuasion, you have to think John Ottman has the sweetest gig in all of Hollywood. Aside from the folks at Marvel and DC, Ottman is one of the most frequent contributers to geek films these days. As a composer, he has been lucky enough to write the score for Superman Returns, X-Men 2: X-Men United, and The Fantastic Four. He did great work in all three films (I was particularly impressed with his efforts in Superman, as he not only did his own original work, but also included the original William's theme music), and has apparently impressed people in the Marvel camp, because they are bringing him back again for Fantastic Four 2 (which is still nameless). Ottman is excited to return for the second installment of the franchise, as it will mark the first time he has ever scored music for a sequel to a film he had scored in the past. He said it has always been a fantasy of his to do so, and is very excited to give it a try. Ottman also said "I can't say that the themes were intentionally designed to be expanded upon later, but it's something I hope to do. I like now that the characters are established I can have fun with them."

The prevailing thought from everyone involved with this film -- now even including the music guy -- seems to be "This one will be a lot better because we've got all that tedious character introduction out of the way." I'm firmly in that camp as well, and I hope everyone is correct about it. My little geek heart could really use a great Fantastic Four flick.

If you don't know who Doug Jones is you should be ashamed, because the man is fantastic. Mostly, he pops up in geek genre films; he's beloved for his role as Abe Sapien in Hellboy and he's the title character in Pan's Labyrinth. And, during the madness which was Comic-Con 2006, there was very strong rumor (mostly instigated by Jones and his agent) suggesting he would be joining the Fantastic Four team as the Silver Surfer. This made a lot of sense to anyone familiar with Jones, and we all just nodded our heads and said "yeah, that's a very strong choice." Then Jones started dodging the rumors he himself had created, and backed away from a promise to make a major casting announcement, leaving us all with the feeling someone above him had told him to keep his trap shut. Since then, Jones granted an interview to Now Playing but refused to confirm anything. He did, however, did drop several large hints:

• He waved a silver ring he was wearing, and said he thought the color looked very good on him. He also said he planned to wear a lot more of the color in the future: "I actually found an outfit in this color recently when I was shopping and I absolutely loved it. It looked perfect on me. Nobody else is in line behind me to buy it, so I'm now kind of waiting for the store to approve my credit card."
• He said he owns the first 18 issues of The Silver Surfer, and finds the character to be very inspiring.
• Filming will begin in August, and according to Jones: "I would hope sometime around then that any other passing news regarding that film would be announced."

My two cents? Whoever is in charge of this decision at the studio needs to move on this with all haste; Jones is the perfect man for the role.

I know there are many legitimate complaints for True Believers to make when it comes to the recent Fantastic Four movie. Any of us could work up a pretty respectable list of grievances to hand in to the folks at Marvel. Despite said complaints, though, as mentioned before I genuinely enjoyed the film, unlike many of my fellow fans. If, however, I were to work up such a list, at the very top would be the character portrayal of Reed Richards. I know -- of all the things to complain about, why pick that one at the top? Because I love the Four, I guess. Reed is a tech geek, sure ... but he is not a weak, whiny pansy who gets pushed around by everyone. Dude is one of the most important leaders in the entire superhero world. In the movie, he was a pantywaist.

Imagine my joy, then, when I read the following comments from one of the primary script writers for the Fantastic sequel: "I think the one thing I really want to do is make Reed Richards, that character, smarter and tougher. He's the leader. I think Ioan [Gruffudd] did a great job [in the first film], but I think he could have had more stuff to play as the leader. Reed Richards has his nerdy side, but he ultimately has to make some tough choices." Amen. I am now fully ready to accept a Fantastic Four sequel with an open heart. Let us hope that they make many such changes for the better.