Inside Josh Trank’s Director’s Cut of Fantastic Four

Taking a look at Josh Trank's original cut of Fantastic Four (2015).
⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:32 Rebooting Fantastic Four
1:05 Hiring Josh Trank
1:36 Screenwriter Jeremy Slater
3:10 Slater’s Version
4:59 Black Sue Storm
6:02 Miles Teller
6:31 A Troubled Production
7:55 Reshoots
9:35 Fantasticar and HERBIE
10:02 The Thing Airdropped
10:38 Mole Man
11:13 Dr. Doom
12:33 It's Clobberin' Time
12:58 Johnny Storm
12:15 Planet Zero
13:52 Trank's Delusional E-mail
14:14 X-Men Vs. Fantastic Four
14:45 Boba Fett
15:07 Release the Trank Cut
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#fantasticfour

[@pixelbomb97]

It's really funny that Trank correctly identified the correct writer in Slater, but couldn't identify that he wasn't the right director.

[@palmickey420]

yeah I went into this video thinking, "I want the Track cut" but the longer I watched I was like "this version sounds terrible...I want the Slater cut!"

[@ricniks4619]

@@palmickey420 Ikr I think that this is the one time I am totally fine with the studio not releasing the directors cut for the film & them attempting to fix it themselves for a CBM. Unlike Richard Donners Superman 2, Ayer's Suicide Squad or Snyder's Justice League which would have been good or great but because the studio thought they knew better they just ruined them & pissed off the fans & teams who worked on it.

[@DigontoZahid-lc7kt]

​​@@ricniks4619snyders justice league was straight trash

[@domwilson2505]

@@ricniks4619both versions of justice league were ass

[@normalplayer7377]

Jew

[@andmicbro1]

So basically Slater was the right guy to write it, but Trank was the exact wrong person to direct and hand over creative control to.

[@moonchildeverlasting9904]

he didnt want a body-horror. he wanted cronicles but with fantastic four. *sighs*. also the idea that jeremy slater and directors wasnt on page is wrong. tallk about trying to throw shades on someone you already thrown shade at. he didnt wanted a "black-all-crew" , he had the same casts as young teens. same cast after they got powers, probably ?? ALSO.. FOR the love of. Hasn't trank suffered enough ? He made one-of-the-best superhero / realistic movies. He was pulled of Fantastic Four cause they wanted to do re-shoot for no reason at all. this was almost 2015. almost 10 years ago. talk about his new movies instead.

[@UnifiedaxxS]

Slater was a comic book nerd. Trank could make a serious grounded movie that isn't capeshit. Trank wasn't the problem

[@NYOlly15]

Honestly, Trank's idea of a body horror Cronenberg-style superhero film would be really interesting, but Slater was the right guy to draft a Fantastic Four screenplay

[@mikestergos]

Check out Planetary if you want body horror w/ the FF

[@Ike_of_pyke]

Both can work together , especially if you go back and read the original run by Stan and ditko especially with the thing's appearance

[@mangaloveranix8412]

I prefer Slatter's version for that regard of getting the movie fruitful based on the comics.

[@alejandroalvarado4178]

I agreed sounds interesting but I think if he wanted to make a movie like that. He should have make it but with a original story instead of using the Fantastic Four IP. Regardless of

[@mangaloveranix8412]

@@alejandroalvarado4178 that's Trank's idea for this movie about the F4. I am rooting for Slatter on this movie.

[@roberttreacy8271]

Fantastic Four (2015) is one of those movies in which its behind the scenes story is more interesting than the movie itself.

[@Bowiiihowdy]

Like the island if Dr. Moro

[@mjl11]

Or even The Phantom Menace

[@sonicdash9652]

​@@mjl11Correction: The Sequels

[@ravager48]

The Incredibles will always be the best Fantastic Four movie (for now).

[@user-zx3eo9qr9x]

For now yeah right your gonna wait another 20 years 😂😂

[@derekseven1647]

Yeah and even that one's animated. Live action doesn't seem to work for the F4.

[@yourfatboy5359]

​@@derekseven1647you cannot convert jack kirby's amazing concepts and art into live action, the fantastic four work so much better in animation (either it be 2d or 3d or both)

[@DeepEye1994]

​@@yourfatboy5359Spider-Verse style Fantastic 4 would be lit

[@yourfatboy5359]

@@DeepEye1994 there was a cut scene in across the spider-verse where miles and gwen teleport to a kirby art like room and it looked amazing, can't forget how the first spider-verse film used the kirby crackle (the ball particles you see in the portal, that's how kirby drew energy) i think a fantastic 4 movie with the spider-verse art style would be incredible.

[@Omar-wq9dz]

Considering the state of the MCU now, if that F4 movie doesn’t deliver, then the IP is officially cursed in the movie format

[@madnessman1520]

I honestly think the 2000s f4 movies were great especially the first one the second one definitely had its problems but it was still enjoyable

[@JadedMax]

....that's so fucking stupid. No. No it doesn't

[@anubusx]

I hated how they turned Doctor Doom into a copy of Norman Osborn.

[@ericklingenberg5309]

I'm happy Marvel is taking their time on it.

[@anubusx]

@@ericklingenberg5309 I am really unsure about Pedro Pascal as Mr Fantastic.

[@ImpulseKidEntertainment]

"While the Snyder Cut movement was an incredible thing, it's also something that doesn't need to happen for every movie that suffers from studio interference, as sometimes movie studios have no choice but to step in" - Wiser words have never been spoken.

[@Unclejack328]

Perfect quote!!

[@ChoCoMoCo69]

Snyder cut was not that good TBH. And Directors sud sign movies if studio agrees to release their cut on Digital.

[@Bowiiihowdy]

​@ChoCoMoCo69 it wasn't a masterpiece but it wasn't a Frankenstein mess the Whedon Schneider mix the original cut was

[@FactsDontCareAboutFeelings_97]

⁠@@ChoCoMoCo69except it was that good. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ChoCoMoCo69]

@@Bowiiihowdy Whedon's version was just Producer pleasing botched Surgery. It's unfair to only blame him. I will blame WB for it more cuz Snyder's Previous movie was not that good either nor his later Rebel Moon.

[@peterramirez001]

I can understand keeping a real world feel to it, but that doesn’t mean it has to be gloomy or dark. You can still make a bright movie and make it relatable

[@WargodFilms]

We get that but let’s be honest marvel haves a full catalog full of bright movies some successful a lot was not so they can do the dark and gloomy just needs the right writer and director to flush the characters out

[@SirChrisCook]

I don't need it to be gloomy or dark, I legit wanna see a Cronenburg style FF film with all the body horror

[@louxander2899]

I like the dark n gloomy. We can have both. It’s a multiverse

[@slimtrxx7093]

the F4 is supposed to be a tight family giving you that friendly vibe. i don’t get the whole dark n gloomy vibe. save that for characters like doom . they’re literally the ninja turtles , doesn’t need to be as goofy but we love teams like this because of that true family atmosphere.

[@ratamahatta5306]

Bright and relatable? You mean constant unfunny jokes and quips that whedon and the rest of mcu does for 10 years and played out nowadays?

[@reservationatdorsias3215]

Goddamn, the industry shat out Trank as quickly as it welcomed him.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

😂

[@mmclaurin8035]

He kind of had it coming. If he wanted to be an auteur and have 100% control, he shouldn't have agreed to do a summer super hero movie.

[@kevincruise3521]

@@jeffreymilhorn-bx5jrNICHOLAS ROBBED ME BLIND! Don't trust his tricks, it's all a ploy to leave you penniless

[@KasumiKenshirou]

@@Bulletsandblockbusters "Yeah, Barney's right, we're almost out of beer!" Can you get rid of all these sockpuppet crypto scam replies?

[@captainchuppachup]

I love when the bots have conversations in comments 😂

[@TanmanC]

I feel like one thing people forget is while yes the Dark Knight Trilogy has darker themes, those movies have a good amount of humor and personality- I feel like a lot of directors just say the darker themes and did not see the humor and personality in those films

[@dorianleakey]

its not really "directors" though, its studio executives. Trank wasnt trying to make a film like the Dark Knight.

[@OptimusMonk01]

plus, batman is dark. F4 is not.

[@KingArthur39]

The Dark Knight wasn't sucessful because it was "dark and gritty", but because it was a damn good movie

[@OptimusMonk01]

@@KingArthur39 what's that got to do with my comment

[@BillBlazejowski]

​@@OptimusMonk01what makes you think he was specifically replying to you? And if you spoke English fluently you would understand his comment has a lot to do with the discussion being had.

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

I wish more directors and studios would take inspiration from Raimi's Spiderman trilogy. It was able to be serious and campy. Had dark moments, but also light ones. Not everything needs to be dark and gritty all the time.

[@Alf-gm7tf]

Finally! Somebody said it!

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

@Alf-gm7tf I think Raimi would be an awesome director for a Batman movie. Especially with his ability to balance serious and campy, but also sprinkle in some horror elements. I think it could work really well, especially using elements from Batman: the animated series like he used elements from Spiderman: the animated series for his Spiderman trilogy.

[@Polar_Bear_Ron]

Honestly that script with Annihilus and Mole Man sounds fucking awesome. Just a shame this isn’t the universe that movie was made in.

[@protag64toons2.0]

Yeah although it might have some problems filming on like how spider-man 3 (2007) have shoehorned all the villain in and stuff

[@DinoDave150]

Everything about this film's conception was doomed from the get-go. Making it dark and gritty, taking inspiration from Cronenberg, only kickstarting it just to maintain film rights. Nothing about it said anyone's hearts were in the right place. In regards to Jeremy Slater's original treatment, it might not have been that good, but at least it sounded more interesting and entertaining than what we got.

[@phxntomnv7610]

Agreed

[@CollegeDroputPowerpoints]

I have to quote redlettermedia and say you cant make a good fantastic 4 movie. Trank at least has an idea that was different and Slater just wanted to do ANOTHER attempt at a superhero film with the F4 when they aren't superheroes theyre a bunch of wacky scientists who try and make their lives as normal as possible but are always called to action.

[@DinoDave150]

@@CollegeDroputPowerpoints I counter that argument saying you can't make a good Fantastic Four movie with one word: Incredibles.

[@captainjakemerica4579]

So glad that Josh drank himself isn't pushing for a Trank cut

[@dorianleakey]

Trank's movie would have been interesting. Not good, better than what we got. There was nothng wrong with the body horror, its already in the original concept. The things main personality is horror with his own body

[@Dennis-ux3wx]

I'm honestly amazed Hollywood could never understand that Batman was appropriate for a dark and gritty film but other superhero franchises were not. You can have variety and do some dark and some light depending on the source material.

[@davidshillaker7578]

That's where DC has struggled. Especially Zack Snyder. I liked his films, I enjoyed Man of Steel and BvS, but making everyone fit the dark tone didn't work. That's where Marvel did better (usually). The adapted the story around the characters.

[@thecandlemaker1329]

You say this, but when those execs were growing up, Batman was the byword for comedy. Imagine if someone tells you that Looney Tunes are appropriate for a dark and gritty adaptation (but not other cartoons).

[@shanedbunting]

Hollywood doesn't do Subtlety, comic books are comic books , whether horror or action heroes , romance , slice of life , philosophical. If some one drew them then they are a cartoon and that either means a cartoony comedy super movie or a dark and gritty reimagining. 😐

[@ommohanty3905]

your opinion says that you liked josstice league more rather than the snyder cut @@davidshillaker7578

[@marvelousball]

​@@davidshillaker7578Zack Snyder is a hack and you have awful taste

[@safebox36]

I know people don't like the portal thing from this film, but it's not completely out of nowhere. It's more based on the Ultimate universe's Fantastic Four, where they got their powers via dimensional travel instead of space travel.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

💯

[@thrashpuppy2010]

I liked it more than the let's go to space with my friends origin.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

​@@Bulletsandblockbustersaloso colecthio. The x men fntastic four move was planed in 2010 but the did frent x men fntastic foyr crossover planned to be wrteen by warren ellus

[@wesstewart2677]

@@thrashpuppy2010agreed. It feels more modern. When the FF were originally created in 1961, dreams of exploring the stars and going the moon was the idea. But now we’ve already been to space a lot…so inter dimensional travel would be the next big thing. I like it.

[@brandonsmith9098]

I actually prefer parts of that origin. Space is fun and cool, but that doesn't seem to be a priority for humanity. We haven't made any concrete steps to go back to the Moon or even land on Mars. So the N-Zone is an interesting concept that opens up so many other doors for the story. I think Annihilus should have been the villain if you take the N-Zone route for a story.

[@dwbwze100]

Awesome video! This really opened my eyes to Josh Trank. I was aware about how the fox studio had heavy involvement in the film, but I had no idea about his behavior on the project. Guess this explains why he hasn’t done any big movies in while.

[@EJD339]

Guy had one good idea and executed it well with chronicle and that’s about all he had. I know his father and step mom were connected to Hollywood

[@Zegeebwah]

His career is definitely over

[@zootin6688]

@@Zegeebwah he wrote and directed a $20 million movie a couple years ago. it didn't do amazing theatrically cause it ended up going digital due to covid (literally came out may 2020 lol). it seems like he's still able to get jobs

[@scenes3177]

@@zootin6688 That is Capone 2020 which is very mediocre, its not that bad but not good either, kind of weak narrative, going around story that you already know what the end for Capone is, nothing new .... Thank to Covid it doesnt got theatrical release, otherwise critics would have trash it even more. Trank is really 1 hit wonder

[@KasumiKenshirou]

@@EJD339 We didn't really need an American version of Akira set in Seattle. It was OK for what it was, but it wasn't a very original story.

[@LastCall4Lunch]

My friends brother was the stunt double for Doom. He’s the one who was in all the reshoots.

[@shainewhite2781]

This movie had a hellish production from start to finish.

[@Omar-wq9dz]

That might have made a better movie than what came out

[@dangerchef8118]

Trank sounds like a nightmare. Why do the studios hire people who have contempt for the source material? It seems to happen often and usually results in a poor adaptation.

[@phxntomnv7610]

Slaters version actually sounds a lot more interesting than the snooze fest we got

[@CollegeDroputPowerpoints]

It's basically a choice between a director's revenge story, someone's fanfic, or a studio generic product.

[@Lovicide]

​​@@CollegeDroputPowerpointsYou say that like it was Tranks plan all along to screw over a studio that gave him his first big break, Chronicle. Personally, it looks to me like Trank had a very specific, alternative take on the superhero genre. Him and Max Landis crafted an incredibly unique "superhero" style film with Chronicle that avoided most cliches (like the whole great power comes with great responsibility yada yada type hero cliches) and instead went with the idea of "what would 3 teens ACTUALLY do if they gained super powers?" I'm not trying to say Trank would've made a groundbreaking new film if he had been allowed to write and film what he wanted with Fantastic Four, but I agree with most other commenters saying his version would've at least been interesting and not a Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix snooze fest.

[@Sammsy1126]

@@CollegeDroputPowerpoints😢

[@TheFerrett3]

Yes!

[@protag64toons2.0]

Idk about galaktus being the main villain in the first movie in the earlier draft script but other than that I think slater script is pretty cool

[@dustingmyguitars]

I remember seeing the trailers for this and thinking it looked awful. Seems like the studio and director share the blame on this one. Being caught off guard by the tone of the film is entirely on the studio for not monitoring more closely though

[@dorianleakey]

He did what they hired him to do, they were being silly. They should have interfered more during filming, but also supported Trank. He clearly went a bit mad.

[@qweqqweq2090]

man, what a nightmare. I can just imagine having to deal with all those problems, both as trank, and the other people trying to cope with all that craziness.

[@ainanomena9276]

When whe movie began by presenting the mindset of a young Reed Richards, I thought I was in for a great movie. And that impression was enforced with the prototype scene in the basement. Then everything went south pretty quickly. The team didn't felt like a family, the movie was esthetically so dark, a lot of the story took place inside the same facility or whatever, there was a whole 5 year time jump in between that wasn't as impactful as it should have and Victor turned into a villain simply because he has to. This movie is like a nice mug that they broke and repaired using glue, with some pieces either missing or replaced, and no idea of what made it great initially.

[@angelcibej349]

Great video :) Just a small correction ... Chronicle was not made on the basis of Trank's own script. Max Landis was a screenwtiter on that one.

[@teacher970]

I think it was Honest Trailers that at one point said that a movie about the making of this movie would be more interesting than this version of Fantastic Four turned out to be.

[@C_SAVAGE]

I still want this version of the film.

[@TheArtofRetouching]

I recently watched some other KZbinr's version of this, and yours is WAY better. Thank you. Keep it up!!!

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Wow, thanks!

[@hansentheman8084]

I heard there was different ideas for X-Men Dark Phoenix before that film was made. Presumably there was an alternate ending of the film that was made where the X-Men fought the Dark Phoenix outside the United Nations building. Maybe you could do a video on that in the future.

[@davidshillaker7578]

The train sequence in Dark Phoenix was a reshoot. I'm not sure how much of the final act was a reshoot though.

[@Crimson28]

The Incredibles is still the best Fantastic Four film to date. I don’t think any future projects will top it.

[@drumnbassdan]

The Incredibles is terrible. F4 silver surfer is better.

[@Crimson28]

@@drumnbassdan Rise of the Silver Surfer is one of the most terrible superhero movies ever made. It killed the franchise. The most boring parts of Incredibles 1 and 2 are better than all Fantastic Four movies combined.

[@drumnbassdan]

i agree. i just said it was better than the Incredibles @@Crimson28

[@changsiah2]

That does not count but yeah also I'm just gonna you know despite the recent years with the MCU but I would like to see the interpretation of Fantastic Four in that universe

[@kaponosucks]

@@Crimson28Nah those F4 movies are great

[@pierreemousseau262]

Some of these added scenes looked absolutely amazing. Would have liked to have seen that version

[@TighelanderII]

In the comics, it took the Fantastic Four a little time to become a full-blown super hero adventure comic. Back then Marvel was pumping out monster stories and others like the Twilight Zone, and when the FF started, they retained a lot of the flavor of the other stories. In their first issue they fought a monster. They didn't get their costumes until the third issue I think.

[@alesanapoodle7529]

I remember watching this in theatres and sharply noticing how much I actually like the Trank First half, and then boom, when the studio recuts happen for the second half of the movie, I and all my friends stopped liking it. We didn't know it at the time and we just thought "Why was the second half of the movie so much worse than the first half???" and then I eventually learned about the reshoots and recuts and such. I wish they would have just let Trank cook. I was REALLY digging the horror inspired elements and I think experimentation is good. You wanna bright kid friendly F4? We got two of those in the 2000's. Go watch those. Ya know?

[@Headhunter004]

No, the first half was garbage, too. It was as boring, tedious and poorly-acted with a whole bunch of nothing happening as the second half. All it confirmed was the movie might’ve been mostly garbage instead of complete garbage had they let him cook.

[@isaacj8175]

1st half was terrible too 😂

[@Headhunter004]

​@@edwardhewitt9229 what character or plot development? The first half was as boring to sit through with a whole bunch of NOTHING happening as the second half was. 🤦‍♂

[@retromacman620]

I like Chronicle a lot and I really like the idea of the Scanners/Fly mix, but there was no way this film was going to end well. The studio wanted one thing and Trank another. I imagine if there actually is a Director cut out there, it's maybe fine. If he'd been able to execute his vision it might have been good, but just so different from what they wanted

[@amrzidan3404]

After seeing this vid i think Trank should've just done his own thing. He wouldn't have been restricted by source material and such. He would have had no problem pitching and greenlighting an original film based on the ideas ideas that were mentioned i.e. A Scanner and The Fly mix with inspiration from The Fantastic Four, after his success with chronicle.

[@youtubeistryingtocensorme]

And none of them were what the audience or fans wanted

[@brandondawson4086]

Absolutely love this series! Another awesome video dude! However it does suck to hear that this is one film that sounds like it would not have had any sort of good cut with who was at the helm of the project.

[@CollegeDroputPowerpoints]

At most it would be a cult classic. Chronicle had some bad reviews for how dark it became and I think thats because the mass audience dont like things that are "negative."

[@JO-qn8gy]

Trank should have just done Chronicle part 2.

[@thebarksman]

Nice. Another great video. Your videos are one of the highlights of my week man. Thanks as always!

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Wow, that makes me so happy to hear. Thank you and glad you enjoy them so much!

[@thebarksman]

@@Bulletsandblockbusters me and my daughters always watch your videos everytime a new one comes out. We dig it.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

That honestly made my day to hear. Thank you!

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

​@@Bulletsandblockbustersyeh msyb Josh trank shou j been balowed yo mskmr th move he wanted to make lith guy wanted to mor if a sci fi horror movie and msyb fix cou hsv just let him do it imgin if the got mdkevth mo he wanted it cou hsv been on mor intresting suphero moves out there imagine unvrksble meets th fly

[@hairywelder5188]

This movie is so unmemorable, I'd watch it again but in a week I'll probably forget what happened

[@billylo7875]

They didn't even call themselves the Fantastic Four by the End of the Movie.

[@WalkBesideMe]

I do like this movie, or at least what it set out to do. The minimalist beginning leading into 90s Sci-fi wonder into pure body horror is legitimately great and reminded me a lot of Ang Lee's Hulk, which I also really liked. It's when it has to be a superhero movie is when it goes wrong and it goes wrong hard and fast

[@dorianleakey]

It may still have worked. Fox didnt know what they had asked for, so were surprised when Trank delivered what they asked for, rather than a slightly more serious take on the fantastic four

[@martinyanez7474]

Honestly, i would have loved to see tranks version, it seems like a great and refreshing take, but i also would have loved to see slaters. Both could have done really well and been great movies if they could have been done in their own

[@zenquantum1246]

It sounds as though Trank wasn’t the right fit from the jump. I like the idea of the superhero-transformation -as-body-horror film he wanted to do and it could have been a great piece. However, the studio clearly had something altogether different. This is a story of the city mouse and the country mouse trying to live happily in the suburbs: it doesn’t work for either one

[@Omar-wq9dz]

It’s not just this film, there are other good Fantastic 4 scripts like the mid-to-late 90s Michael France version and the early 2000s Doug Petrie one, but for some reason the movies don’t work. They could make good What Could Have Been videos, as they’re both online to read

[@VoidedFilms]

Thanks for the vid! I've still never seen this movie, though I always wanted to know more of the behind the scene story.

[@mega6836]

Thank you for making this, I've been recently telling everyone how compelling the pre-production and concept art for Fant4stic was. I really like the idea of a superhero body horror so it's a shame Fox fumbled that.

[@LARKXHIN]

There was an article about this ages ago I could never find again so thanks for this

[@cmere9141]

The gift that keeps on giving.

[@xtraspecialmango]

The Doom head pops were pretty sweet 👍

[@CollectorsQuestPH]

Awesome video! I watch all your videos when I'm stuck in traffic on the way & back to work! Keep it up! 🙌🏻

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thanks!!!

[@TheLobster99]

This is what I’ve been waiting for - hell yes!!

[@kuribayashi84]

A Cronenberg-esque Body-Horror-Version of this Movie actually sounds interesting and there *are* some bits of that left in the movie, like Reed coming across half reformed and panicking Ben trapped in his cell or the shot of Reed being experimented on and his limbs streched in all directions. I'd be honestly curious to watch this version of Fant4stic. Alas, if will probably never happen. Shame, since the general Idea is interesting in concept and I actually like the Cast.

[@dorianleakey]

I feel like Fox should have given support early on, to mould it an push for some fun, instead of giving him free reign then destroying what they specifically hired him to do.

[@myra-yves]

the scene where doom walks thru the halls blowing brains up, pretty cool tbh

[@kuribayashi84]

@@myra-yves Yeah, reminded me of _Akira._

[@bensneb360]

While maybe not the best idea for a Fantastic Four movie, I liked the idea of a “body horror” F superhero film and would of liked to have seen Trank’s original version

[@tine8849]

Agreed I think especially with the X-men, body horror is a good way to approach some of their powers.

[@RingoLoadagain]

*would have* not "would of"

[@catspaw3092]

Trank had no right not to take his anger on Kate because he was forced to cast her she didn't do anything wrong she even went to do research on her character Sue Storm but was told not to do that.

[@jahijohnson3595]

Amazing breakdown 👏🏾can’t wait until the next video!

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thank you!

[@christianmanka3884]

I always kinda enjoyed the 2015 as a guilty pleasure. Wish we could have seen Trank’s cut.

[@polyglot12]

Thanks for this, it really wraps everything up. I was very hopeful for this film when it was announced. I loved the idea of the negative zone (planet zero) instead of cosmic rays in space. Novel in the early 60's, but another dimension is the new frontier. I loved the slightly more serious, gritty tone, something I liked in general about Fox's superhero films versus the more comedy-driven MCU films. But there's no denying the movie falls apart after little more than half an hour. With 20/20 hindsight, it would have been better if Trank had trusted the writer he hired and gone with the story he developed, and done his rewrites off of it, as opposed to being in such opposition to every element of the story. I mean, Annihilus, Doom, Galactus and Mole Man in one film!!! Fox double-downed on the problems by slashing the budget and thinking they could somehow cobble together a film post principal photography. Fox's superhero films are characterized by good characters and strong action - you can't beat the opening to X2, or Quicksilver in DOFP. But this film had a dizzying lack of action, coherence, and ultimately shows what you get when no one in the production trusts anyone else in the production.

[@kingofhearts3185]

I agree. If Trank just tried to add some extra spice to a story about Annilhilus and Doom with one of the others as an end credits scene it would have been a decent movie at the very least. At least if we're going with the summary we heard in the video.

[@Airwr3ck]

I did enjoy a lot of ideas from this fantastic four but goddamn was it all over the place. I honestly would’ve like to see Transks full vision just to see how unique it would’ve been. I doubt I would’ve enjoyed that version of the film but I would’ve loved to see what a complete unhinged creative freedom looks like

[@ijohnathonwhite8002]

Yes

[@crazyinsanepenguin]

Could you do a video about the original script for Prometheus? It was called Alien: Engineers and was was written by Jon Spaihts. It eventually became Prometheus after rewrites by Damon Lindelof, most known as the writer of Lost, Watchmen HBO, the JJ Abrams Star Trek movies, and World War Z among other things

[@user-mr6pc1nm4k]

I would have love to see Trank's vision on full display. I think the idea of making a more grounded story with a little inspiration from Chronicle is why he was hired in the first place. If there was issues on set with actors then that's a different story.

[@Kfoglarsson]

I remember being so hyped for this... As Trank had made one of my favorite movies of all time: Chronicle. Not to mention Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller being totally awesome actors. The first trailer looked so good. Whatever happened to Miles Teller? Feels like he disappeared after J.K. Simmons shouted at him in Whiplash.

[@Kfoglarsson]

@@InevitableOption-ic2vx You're right! I forgot that movie even existed haha.

[@bakratos23230]

Trank sounds like the Edgy teenager that writes gritty and "mature" stories based on Sesame Street.

[@cable7152]

Another great video from a dude that never misses.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thank you!

[@HallErik16]

Your KZbin is probably one of the best for cancelled movies I didn't know a lot of the things about this film

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thanks!

[@HallErik16]

​@@Bulletsandblockbustersyou're welcome glad I found your youtube

[@jonny_blanco]

As soon as Josh Trank decided to be a numb skull and not listen to/disregard Jeremy Slater who cooked up an absolute masterpiece of a script, this movie was doomed. Sad to see but can't say that it wasn't deserved.

[@rig-zag]

From what I remember, the film would've been too dark for a decent 3D post conversion, as 3D hates the dark and Trank was obviously going for a dimly lit horror motif.

[@hipdude5277]

Another great video!

[@uzetaab]

great video. Thanks!

[@cc_films]

As a big fantastic four fan I remember being so hype watching this not caring how actually bad the film was. I just wanted a sequel so bad 😂

[@tobiaslawrence8928]

Same

[@R1ch4d8]

Why would you want a sequel to a film you knew was really bad?

[@thelegend8153]

​@@rustcohle6149huh

[@MichaelSmith-dk1lc]

@@R1ch4d8 f4 fans are on the floor trying to eat crumbs for any content other than one title book in the comics.

[@ValleyJack]

Having been a fan of the Fan4 for my whole life, its sad to see what has happened with the live action portrayals, even though I somewhat like them all in their own way. The ‘94 unreleased movie was a perfect adaptation of the origins if you overlook the shotty special effects and animation. The 2000’s was campy and lighthearted, with fun chemistry and good vibes, but terrible galactus portrayal. But Fan4stic just feels unfinished and doesnt bring the love of the team like the comics do. I’m happy you made this video because now I can at least appreciate what Trank tried to do with Slater on the project, but its a shame his vision wasnt produced the way he wanted.

[@bjnowak]

Great video. Very in-depth

[@wtfdidIjustwatch3737]

They should have shot Slater’s version, no matter how expensive it was gonna be. Sounds amazing.

[@jangofett7421]

This film was one of the first films I left the theatre saying “my god that was terrible”

[@zserbs2326]

The most interesting thing about this film will always be the production nightmare. I think Trank wasn’t a good pick imo. No clue how the F4 is so hard to adapt but man the MCU can only do better.

[@donniethedealer2623]

With the state of the the current MCU they’ll nuke the fantastic 4 with pandering and race and gender swapping

[@bobpigfoo]

Great video. Keep up the awesome work. much loves

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thank you! Will do!

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the amazing information

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

My pleasure

[@blubrown21]

Why do they hire directors who want to change the source material

[@Da1Dez]

I'd love to see Trank get to have his director's cut in the future.

[@robertjackson9005]

Oh yay! You finally released it. Ask and I shall receive. Unless you were already making this video when I was asking for it. Hahaha! Great video, looking forward to the next one! 👍🏻

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Haha thanks!

[@garymurphy6901]

I remember reading a little story about this film online and little Herbie was in it and was taken down very fast was brilliant hearing what you found out about this mess of a film look forward to your next 1 🎥🍿

[@gmotdot]

The original origin of Dr Doom in the comics is probably the greatest villain origin story of all time (I read it in Bring On The Bad Guys at least 100 times as a kid)… why do people insist on f@cking with it? It’s perfect.

[@jasontodd1896]

Agree

[@djpegao]

Because nowadays no villain is allowed to be villainous, they always have to be misunderstood or treated badly to justify why they're evil; all the companies now want to have sympathetic villains that act and look cool. That's why I'm glad that Jack Horner from the last Puss n Boots movie was just straight up evil because he wanted to and had none of the nowadays common villain traits.

[@bigbawlzlebowski8886]

​@@djpegaohe's not just straight up evil. It's played off for laughs. So your point is invalid.

[@rezaashary7180]

Lesson to be learn from this never hired a directors who only make one movie should hired the one who have already direct alot and have enough experience

[@viciousbane569]

Great video buddy, would’ve loved to see his true version of the film before I see the potential

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thanks!

[@johnaraya3761]

oh wanted to say conrgats i joined at 20k not long ago now 45K lets gooo you deserve it fully

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thanks bro! We’re growing fast!!!

[@johnaraya3761]

@@Bulletsandblockbusters really fast dont know if this would help but i got a lil wutang clan group on facebook 48k and if you ever do anything about rza's man with the iron fist i know theres some stuff with that i can share it on my page and get my gang to join they love that stuff and shaw bro movies its there if you ever do fully and congrats again

[@yushayasad3676]

Trank not considering Slater's version after hiring him for his comic book knowledge feels really dumb. Why hire someone if you're gonna just reject all their proposals?

[@thatonkgau5221]

The concepts for the movie all sound very interesting and have a lot of potential. If there was a better director and writer on the project the movie would've been much better.

[@beneustice9328]

That first script would have been amazing. Adding Annihulus would have been such an awesome movie. Especially with his control rod being the thing to create victors armor. Such a shame man.

[@somebuddyX]

Another great video! This whole thing is such a shame because maybe instead we could have got another original Josh Trank film and a more accurate Fantastic Four. One good thing that came out of was Jamie Bell meeting Kate Mara, and now they're married and have kids!

[@jamescoleman3103]

Cape movies have so much drama attached to production

[@TheFranzkfk]

I am definitely on Josh's side. A professional can see the potential of the movie behind the horrendous theatrical cut.

[@illapuproductions]

You’re on the persons side that didn’t know the source material or respect it. Lol cool story bro

[@TheFranzkfk]

​@@illapuproductions You're that kind of dangerous person who thinks that source material must be translated literally or very narrowly to please you. Some people calls you "fans" I call you unimaginative and amateurish:) That's why modern tent poles sucks, because executives listen to people like you.

[@HallowPool193]

Great job can't wait for more Bullets and blockbusters

[@sinema2737]

I'm really curious to see the director's cut. I even do the #releasethetrankcut back in the day

[@snurk7046]

Max Landis wrote the screenplay for CHRONICLE from a story co-created by both him and Trank.

[@NorthernRealmJackal]

You know this because he was on RedLetterMedia don't you? 😅

[@alexjohn6540]

I actually really like the first half of this film and really wish the studio had let Trank do his thing. If they wanted a fun one they should have said that to begin with lol

[@SupremeGreatGrandmaster]

The first half is the worst half. We don't need ANOTHER FF origin. Just get to the story. Start with the team already assembled and working. Why is that concept so difficult for filmmakers to grasp? Endless reboots for no reason. Just make another movie in the series just like they did for James Bond, Tarzan, the Thin Man, and Sherlock Holmes.

[@braxtonwages195]

I never thought the 2005 version was bad. I just didn’t like how they made Dr. Doom a Norman Osborne rip off and gave those super powers but everything was fine.

[@dixienormous227]

You watch scenes from the trailer that were cut out and you can see he was really going for a more of a dark slow burn movie like Chronicle that I feel like would have been interesting

[@IanICee]

In the director's cut did The Thing wear pants? Cause that I saw too much of him pantless in that movie hahaha

[@LeonardoKlotz]

If Josh Trank taught us anything, is that you can't go from a low-budget movie to a big-budget movie You need to go from low to medium, and then from medium to big Is all about gaining credibility. You never know when a studio is gonna think they can control you. You need to show them that you know what you're doing better than them.

[@Lovicide]

Yeah. Giving Trank the keys to an F1 car after driving his first beater car probably wasn't the best idea (not to say Chronicle was a beater car, but for a movie that didn't cost much, it was a bit of a miracle it was as good as it was and made as much as it did). I wish Trank had told the studio very clearly his vision BEFOREHAND so that they could've been like "oh, I see" and just let him down slowly that he wasn't getting the job. I think Fox was on a deadline though and wanted to retain the rights to the Fant4stic franchise. They probably trusted him enough to move forward and, well, we got what we got. I definitely don't blame Trank, at least not entirely.

[@caelanmurie-gq2sj]

MCU does this all the time though

[@LeonardoKlotz]

@@caelanmurie-gq2sj that's because most of them are directors for hire That's why most of them don't have lasting careers afterwards

[@caelanmurie-gq2sj]

@LeonardoKlotz no? MCU specifically hires up-and-coming filmmakers. Technically, you can say every director in the mcu is a director for hire. They have these planned out years in advance.

[@LeonardoKlotz]

@@caelanmurie-gq2sj the only reason why they do this is so they can control them. The smaller the director, the more they wanted to control them In the beginning, they hired stablished directors to helm their first movies, and that was before Disney took over After that, the bigger they got, the bigger was their control over the movies They not only were getting up-and-coming directors, but also TV directors They didn't wanted their filmmakers to think outside the box when they shouldn't. That's why they got rid of Edgar Wright and put a director for hire like Peyton Reed. There's a reason why they usually don't pick stablished filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky, Matt Reeves, Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig It doesn't matter how talented they are, if Disney can't control them, they won't even go to the "maybe pile" That's what Hollywood has been doing recently, especially with franchise movies

[@moviesgalore9947]

Mike France wrote Cliffhanger and GoldenEye and he did a F4 script in the 90's see if you can get that script and do a video on it his script was super expensive but excellent from what I read about it too expensive to produce and it sounds truly fantasic.

[@iainpsmith2317]

Hello, where did you get the action choreography footage of the deleted Thing action sequence?

[@lincoln2324]

Wau! And I thought the shooting of Justice League was chaotic, but thank God we got to see the snyder cut. Honestly I didn't mind the version of the 2015 Fantastic 4 but I would be very interested in watching the director's cut. Besides I also believed that the casting with Miles, Kate Michael and Jamie was pretty cool

[@grbhighlights9401]

It should have been a red flag, as soon as he didn’t have a interest in comic books lmao

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

💯

[@theimaginativehobbyist]

If you are subscriber to Midnight's Edge, you will remember that this was the movie that led to the channel's creation - this was the first picture they covered in the months up to release.

[@Luke101]

This movie feels like a fever dream