Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Fantastic Four Reboot: O'Connell Out Of The Mix As Mr. Fantastic

Empire reports that Skins and "Eden Lake" star Jack O'Connell will NOT play Reed Richards in the upcoming "Fantastic Four" reboot.


He was asked about all those rumors linking him to the heavily sought after role in a chat about his upcoming film work

 “No, that never happened”, he said, “it was completely fake, because I remember meeting for it – I just sat there, had a chinwag, and then left, and the next thing I know, my name is attached to it. So I’d like to clarify: I doubt that’s going to go ahead.”

The comic book series follows four individuals--Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Girl, her brother Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing) who gained superpowers after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer space.

Saoirse Ronan ("The Host") was also being tested for Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Girl). Actress Margot Robbie was also linked but will not be testing. "Girls" star Allison Williams was rumored to be circling Invisible Girl last May. Samira Wiley also denied Sue chatter. Kate Mara and Emmy Rossum are said to have both tested for Sue Storm; Christian Cooke is now eyed for Ben Grimm. Actor Josh Gad was rumored to be the top choice for Grimm as well but that talk was denied via Twitter

"Game of Thrones" stars Kit Harington and Richard MaddenMiles Teller ("The Spectacular Now") were all reportedly getting test offers to read for the role of Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic).

While Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan was eyed for Torch before and like Teller still is being mentioned despite being debunked.

No names have been mentioned for the role of the bad guy yet. The film's bad guy is most likely Doctor Doom but that the masked villain is being written as though the character is a female has been denied...Julian McMahon played the character as Victor Von Doom in the previous big screen incarnations

 Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "X-Men: Days of Future Past") recently finished scripting duties. Jeremy Slater was hired to pen the previous script draft.--that Seth Grahame-Smith polished. Michael Green ("Green Lantern") also wrote a draft as well.

"Chronicle" director Josh Trank is set to helm the pic.

"X-Men: First Class" and "Kick-Ass" director Matthew Vaughn signed on to produce the reset

The leads were previously portrayed by Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis. The first Fantastic Four in 2005 and its sequel 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007--both helmed by Tim Story--grossed $620 million despite awful reviews (I liked em both!)

Fox wants to restore some credibility and quality to the property, that is currently targeting a June 2015 release. Vancouver has lost out on the shoot for the upcoming reboot. The film's production will now take place in Louisiana due to tax incentives in place.

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