Believe it or not, 20th Century Fox’s reboot of the Fantastic Four movie franchise is still on track to be released on August 7, 2015. That’s less than a year away. You’d think we’d have an official still, a teaser trailer or at least a poster by now, but nope. Nada. What is 20th Century Fox hiding?
Well, for one thing, it looks like they’re hiding The Fantastic Four’s new costumes. Co-star Michael B. Jordan, who plays Johnny Storm (a.k.a. The Human Torch) in Josh Trank’s reboot, just told ABC News that instead of the classic unstable molecules jumpsuit look, the heroes will be wearing “containment suits” instead.
“It’s a new look. We are all in containment suits,“ Michael B. Jordan said. “It’s gritty. It’s a gritty film.” (Because nothing says “gritty” like a containment suit, we suppose.)
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Although Michael B. Jordan did not elaborate, it’s an approach that admittedly makes some sense. The Fantastic Four are superheroes who got bombarded with “cosmic rays” during a scientific experiment, which mutated their bodies and made them superheroes. Wearing suits designed to contain and control their abilities is, admittedly, a rather scientific approach.
Then again, that was the old origin of the team. The new origin of The Fantastic Four could be different, and Jordan confirms that we are going to see it in Josh Trank’s reboot.
“The script is very grounded and relatable to everybody, as much as you can. You really get a chance to grow with these characters. It’s an origin story. You get to discover these abilities. These disabilities rather and grow with them.”
“Disabilities?” That’s an interesting approach. Certainly The Thing feels disadvantaged by his powers in the comics and previous movies, but how far will this new Fantastic Four go to make it feel like the iconic Marvel superhero team would rather not have powers at all?
We’ll find out when The Fantastic Four hits theaters next August, and if the current veil of secrecy is any indication, maybe not one second before.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
