galactus 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."

Last we heard from director Tim Story, he told us (via his MySpace Page) that Galactus would make an appearance in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but that the design was not finished yet. However, he did say "it will be pretty powerful." Seeing as, in the comics, Galactus is a God-like villain who consumes entire planets in order to stay alive, one would assume his/its first appearance on screen would be quite epic. You'd think that, right? Well, according to AICN (via one of their secret scoopers), you best break out the umbrella because Galactus is going to look like ... a storm cloud. Ya know, as in "I think it's going to rain -- oh wait, that's not rain, it's ... a God-like villain looking to consume our planet. Gee, how easy it is to confuse the two."

For a more detailed description, the scooper says we should expect something like "Superman/Silver Surfer flying through clouds with Galactus/Jorel VO." As to who would be voicing this monstrous, planet-eating rain cloud, AICN recently received word that Laurence Fishburne might be lending his voice. (Something tells me fans might want to ingest the blue pill and the red pill in order to thoroughly enjoy this sequel.) Keep in mind, these are just rumors right now, and nothing has been confirmed. For all we know, Galactus will be hidden behind this cloud and, at the very end, will reveal itself to be ... Mike Myers dressed as an Indian guru. Oh wait, that's another film. Nevermind. Regardless, we'll all get to see for ourselves when Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (aka Tim Story's Last Chance to Deliver a Successful Franchise) hits theaters on June 15.

Oh, it's on! For the past few months there's been a ton of speculation over whether Galactus would appear in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. On paper, one would assume it's practically impossible to include the Silver Surfer and not throw Galactus a bone; after all, in the original comics Surfer serves as a herald to Galactus in which he roams the universe searching for new planets for Galactus to consume -- hence his business on Earth where he runs into the Fantastic Four. (Yes, in case you weren't aware, Galactus is a God-like villain who must consume entire planets in order to stay alive.)

Though we've had confirmation from folks as high up as Fox Chairman Tom Rothman, rumors also circulated recently alluding to Galactus not being featured in the highly-anticipated sequel. Well, director Tim Story finally put an end to all the nonsense by officially announcing Galactus as a character on his MySpace page. Says Story, "There continues to be much speculation about Galactus. Major speculation. We haven't finished the design of him/it so be careful about what you read and believe. Trust me...no one knows. One things for sure, you can expect to see him/it. It will be pretty powerful."

But how much of a role will Galactus have in the sequel? If you want my opinion, I see him/it showing up toward the end -- I mean, they do have to set up a third installment, right? In the comics, the Silver Surfer eventually betrays Galactus who dooms him to exile on Earth. So, if there is a Fantastic Four 3, will it feature The Four teaming up with Surfer to battle Galactus? What do you think? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters on June 15.

If you're a fan of comic-book movies, you probably already know that Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon had a hand in the screen story for one of my fave films, Spider-Man 2 . And if you're a fan of Chabon, you already know that the man is a huge comic fanboy. What you may not know is that Chabon, prior to the publication of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (the book for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature), pitched studios for both Fantastic Four and X-Men -- and was turned down.

The ever-self-effacing Chabon (who even lists on his website a bunch of negative pull-quotes about his work) has a couple of essays on his website about his unsuccessful pitches. In "Maybe Not So Much With the Fantastic", he details his unsuccessful pitch meeting with Chris Columbus' 1492 Productions (at which he laughed along with the execs about fanboys who came in to pitch their take on the film with their Fantastic Four comics in hand -- while his own copy of FF #48  -- "The Coming of Galactus!" -- hid quietly in his own briefcase). He also includes his pitch notes, which give you an idea of the direction he would have taken the film. Whether you liked Fantastic Four or thought it was a galactic pile of crap, it's interesting to read what Chabon might have done with the story, especially the villian element.

 

True Believers were somewhat disheartened by the script work for the initial Fantastic Four  movie. There were certainly some great moments in the film, but overall we felt it could have been (and really should have been) much better. We've been promised a stronger showing for the second film in the franchise, and we cling to that promise in a desperate hope for the Fantastic Four movie we've always wanted. And if recent rumors are to be believed, the script/plot for the second film is already off to a VERY strong start -- a start fully capable of igniting hope in all our hearts.

Here's the deal; Marvel is reportedly working off a script based very heavily upon the (very) classic "The Coming of Galactus" story arc which ran through The Fantastic Four issues 48-50. The story was penned by Stan Lee himself, with the inking (and story) aid of Marvel godfather Jack Kirby, creator of many fantastic Reed Richard machines. The story is a particularly famous and beloved one, and tells the tale of the world-eater Galactus coming to earth with his Herald the Silver Surfer. For True Believers, "The Coming of Galactus" is practically holy scripture. If the script stays true to the pages, we could be looking at a golden movie here, folks.

If you are at all plugged into the world of Marvel, you probably remember the dismal failure of an attempt to create a Fantastic Four movie back in the mid-nineties. Rumors of it's terrible suckiness abounded, and eventually a good portion of it leaked into the grubby little hands of bootleggers ... and if you chanced to watch a copy you probably wanted to gouge your eyes out with the nearest spoon. If you are a comic book fan, or simply a fan of cinema, and have not seen this yet, be warned: DO NOT try to get your hands on this movie. I know you want to see it just to learn how terrible it is, but trust me -- it will only crush your soul and leave you weeping.

Combine this famous failure with the free publicity of the internet, and you of course get fanboys hoping to capitalize for personal recognition. You've gotta love how anyone with a camera can get themselves shared with the world these days, and a handful of kids have done just that, creating what they call the "lost" trailer for the 1994 Fantastic Four movie. It is a glorious little web gem, poking fun of the production quality at every turn. The amazing thing is ... this may just be better quality than the failed film.

Marvel guru Avi Arad recently discussed a few of the upcoming Marvel flicks with Empire magazine. Look out, here come the bullet points:

• Spider-Man 3 -- Arad still refuses to acknowledge (or deny) the existence of Venom in the third installment of the popular film franchise. He emphasized the scope of the third film, saying it will be larger and more intense than either of its predecessors. Spider-Man will now begin exploring the full extent of his super-human abilities.
• Fantastic Four 2 -- Arad said the story for the second film will pick up a few years after the first. We will find out what the Four have been dealing with since we last saw them, and what (if anything) has happened to the good Doctor Doom. When asked about Galactus, Arad said "What we're trying to do is not show him, but to show someone else, initially." Which Marvel fans immediately read as "Hey, SILVER SURFER!" He is the Herald, after all. Here comes the Power Cosmic!
• Hulk 2 -- The Big Green's sequel will apparently feel like The Fugitive, according to Arad. It figures to be less of a study in anger (although that'll still be a big part of the story, naturally) and more of love story/action flick combo. Ergo, the major cast members in this one (aside from Bruce) will be Betty Ross and Abomination. Every time I hear about a silver screen fight between the Hulk and The Abomination I get all giddy.

This fanboy is very excited, because the rumors of the Silver Surfer appearing in the new Fantastic Four movie have resurfaced with a vengeance. According to Moviehole there are currently two scripts floating around in conjunction with the new Four flick, and both include the team's long-time buddy the Silver Surfer.  This does, of course, mean the existence of a Silver Surfer standalone movie will need to be canned -- at least for the time being. However, if his origin story is covered in FF, an eventual movie could jump straight into the plot without nearly as much background information as most superhero movies need in their first flick.

Thrilled? Yes, for two reasons. First, I just love the Surfer and I've been jonesing for his appearance for quite some time. Ever since rumors of his own movie started popping up I've been praying for him to make it into a Fantastic movie -- it just seems appropriate for him to start there instead of with his own film. Second, we all know what the Surfer was doing when he first met the Four, which definitely means we're going to be encountering Galactus in this film. Bring on the world eater! Okay, maybe three reasons.  I'm also excited to see movie magic give me a big screen treatment of  the Surfer using the Power Cosmic.

As reported here early this month, rumors are flying that the Silver Surfer and Galactus will be the villains in the forthcoming Fantastic Four sequel. As a result - and because rumors are the lifeblood of the internets - people immediately started to discuss who might play the roles (assuming, of course, that the phase one rumors are true). Names like The Rock, Vin Diesel, and Wesley Snipes have been associated with the Silver Surfer in the past, but the one that seems to be in the forefront of discussions this time belongs to a much smaller man: Keanu Reeves. Supposedly Reeves is being considered for the role by people with actual power, and not just by fanboys. I'm a little confused about how, if those three, muscle-bound dudes are appropriate body types, Reeves can actually play the part - perhaps it's his Point Break surfing experience that gives him the edge.

If a superhero movie knows what's good for it, it'll use the internet, augmented by loose-lipped stars, to create massive buzz with very little effort. Take, for example, Spider-Man 3: loads of speculation about villains, casts, and plot. Then, Kirsten Dunst "slips" and tells all, which only raised the level of discussion to a fever pitch. See? It's free publicity! So, after having watched the Spider-Man baddies drama, someone doing casting for Fantastic Four 2 seems to be trying to replicate it - either that, or they're a little unclear on the concept of how buzz actually works and have ruined everything.

You see, a very vague Fantastic Four 2 casting notice just went up - topped by the obviously counterproductive heading, "PLEASE DON'T REPOST IN FORUMS" - alerting actors to the fact that "Casting is now in process [for the movie and] we are looking for many different 'TYPES.'" Useless and boring, I know. But the last sentence of the posting says this: "The Fantastic Four will battle Silver Surfer and his planet-eating master Galactus." WHA?

What are the odds that's going to be the real plot? If it is, some moron in casting is going to get the gate, pronto, for eliminated months of internet speculation fodder in one fell swoop. If, however, it's actually a cleverly-placed bit of misdirection, a punk in marketing just might get himself a promotion out of this one. After all, if the "accidental reveal" is really just an outright lie, the movie got itself a whole lot of pre-buzz buzz, for the price of a three line casting call.