Originally published July 9, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
With some new UK posters launched this morning, the hype machine for Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four is now getting into full swing. Speaking with the LA Times, Trank had some words about the passion of comic book fans, stating that he hopes they “learn something” from the movie.
“People are religious about comics the way people are religious about the Bible,” Trank said. “But I think it’s true for a lot of movies that you can take license with adapting the underlying material and you will be forgiven for it if it’s good — and you will not be if it’s bad.”
“I made every single choice knowing that people would question it,” Trank adds. “And what better reaction than to have people then go see the movie and understand it and feel like maybe they’ve learned something about the world, to not question the next thing they think is going to be stupid or weird. I think that’s my purpose right now in my life.”
THE 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.
The Fantastic Four is set to hit theaters on August 7th, with Josh Trank (Chronicle) directing a cast that includes Miles Teller (Whiplash) as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara (House of Cards) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Jamie Bell (Nymphomaniac) as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as Doctor Doom, Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards) as Dr. Storm, and Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk) as Harvey Elder/Mole Man.
