It’s fair to say that 20th Century Fox’s upcoming reboot of the Fantastic Four has struggled when it comes to getting fans of Marvel’s First Family on board. A lot of hate has been thrown at the movie from the moment it was first announced, which much of the early criticism aimed towards the casting of Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, comic book legend and co-creator of the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee, has chipped in with his thoughts on the casting:
“I thought it was a great idea”, said Lee, before turning to critics of the casting: “They’re outraged not because of any personal prejudice. They’re outraged because they hate to see any change made on a series and characters they had gotten familiar with. In Spider-Man, when they got a new actor, that bothered them, even though it was a white actor. I don’t think it had to do with racial prejudice as much as they don’t like things changed. But I think they’re gonna get to love this character. So I’m not the least bit worried about it. I always tried to pepper these groups with as much racial diversity as possible because that’s the way the world is.”
SEE ALSO: Final international trailer, featurette and TV spots for Fantastic Four
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.
https://youtu.be/IWWtOQOZSTI?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 27, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
