• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • TRENDING TOPICS:
  • Star Wars
  • Marvel
  • DC
  • Physical Media
  • Write for Us

Josh Trank received “heavy pushback” for wanting to cast a black actress as Sue Storm in Fantastic Four

June 6, 2020 by EJ Moreno

For those who don’t remember, 2015’s Fantastic Four saw major controversy before its release when the announcement of Michael B. Jordan’s casting as Johnny Storm was revealed. At the time, there was some in the online trolling community who found this upsetting as the Human Torch is portrayed as a white character in the comics.

This casting also led to an exciting family dynamic as Storm’s father Franklin was also black, but Kata Mara would play the role of Johnny’s sister Sue Storm, who in this version is adopted by Franklin Storm. It turns out though that Trank intended to actually “race bend” the entire Storm family, but saw the studio push back.

In an interview with the YouTube channel FirstCut, Josh Trank opens up about his experience with casting Fantastic Four. Tranks says there was just as much controversial behind-the-scenes as there was online.

“There was a lot of controversial conversations that were had behind the scenes on that. I was mostly interested in a black Sue Storm and a black Johnny Storm and a black Franklin Storm. But…when you’re dealing with the studio on a massive movie like that, everyone wants to keep an open mind to who the big stars are going to be, like well maybe it’ll be Margot Robbie or something like that,” says Trank.

He continues, “But when it came down to it, I found a lot of pretty heavy pushback on casting a black woman in that role. When I look back on that, I should have just walked when that sort of realization hit me, and I feel embarrassed about that… that I didn’t just out of principal. Those aren’t the values I stand for in my own life, and those weren’t the values then or ever for me. Cause I’m someone who always talks about like standing up for what I believe, even if it means burning my career out.”

Trank does express some regret about not standing up for this original casting choices. “I feel bad that I didn’t take it to the mat with that issue. I feel like I failed in that regard, but that was a weird, unfortunate situation – I don’t know how else to put it… if there’s one regret that I have, it’s that issue.”

SEE ALSO: Josh Trank says he felt “castrated” during Fantastic Four’s enforced reshoots

Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four saw its release in 2015 to poor reviews and tanked at the box office with just $168 million worldwide.

 

FacebookTwitterFlipboardRedditPinterestWhatsApp

Filed Under: EJ Moreno, Movies, News Tagged With: fantastic four, Josh Trank, Kate Mara, Marvel, Michael B. Jordan

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Craziest Takashi Miike Movies

The Most Iconic Moments of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Ten Reasons Why Predator Is Awesome

Modern Viking Movies To Watch If You Enjoyed The Northman

Robin of Sherwood: Still the quintessential take on the Robin Hood legend

The Essential Revisionist Westerns of the 21st Century

13 Underrated Horror Sequels That Deserve More Love

Tom Cruise vs. Keanu Reeves: Who will be 2023’s King of Action?

Cannon’s Avengers: What If… Cannon Films Did the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Deadliest Killer Dolls in Movies

FEATURED POSTS:

Sarah Michelle Gellar: The Horror Icon’s Journey from Buffy to Wolf Pack

10 Essential Forgotten 90s Thrillers

The Essential Man vs Machine B-Movie Gems

Trending Now

  1. Movie Review – Fear (2023)
  2. Syfy shares the first 5 minutes of sci-fi series The Ark
  3. Video Review – Infinity Pool is the first WTF movie experience of 2023
  4. Movie Review – Wifelike (2022)
  5. Barbarian’s Zach Cregger to direct multi-story horror epic Weapons
  6. Movie Review – Candy Land (2022)
  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© 2009-2022 Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.