Josh Trank recovering from Fant4stick: The Ultimate Trankgate Retrospective

[@jonisilk]

So, Trank intentionally wanted to make a film that he knew the fans would be unhappy with.... Now I'm confused as to why KK fired him, he fits her modus operandi perfectly.

[@Caravaggio44]

Ha! Best. Comment. Ever.

[@namelessjedi2242]

He was also rebellious and would have fought her.

[@evertonporter7887]

Star Wars doesn't seem to like its directors these days...

[@slowmoe1686]

Nameless Jedi is right. Instead of turning the film into mainstream, media supported IDPolitics trash like Kathleen wanted, with Trank it would end up as edgy, in his words 'uncomfortable' trash. She's fine with trash but not the kind of trash Trank was offering, so she gave him the boot.

[@peterfmodel]

Actually, those are very wise words. Still, i am astounded how slip shot these projects are. Why they can't create a completed script before they spend any money on filming is beyond me. It would not be perfect, but at least it would be a story.

[@Jdne199311]

He punched a wall and broke his hand. Which to be fair is a frequent outcome of Hand vs wall encounters. This line is gold. Gold!

[@mariokarter13]

"It's clobbering time!" - Josh Trank, on his own career

[@Kabodanki]

Hand bones are arced, it was a common occurence when I did boxing, rookie thought punching the wall will make their hands harder....

[@onion_wind]

Yep...my own compound fractures are testament to this.

[@DBCooper01]

The only good thing to come out of Fant4stick was discovering Midnight's Edge

[@6totoro6]

Same here, i began to follow the debacle of Fant4stick in Midnight's Edge.

[@Darkslayer289]

I discovered Double Toasted as well because of Fant4stic.

[@scotcarr3390]

Yep, Andre & the crew did great work on this story & ME became one of the new age indy reviewers & entertainment sites who tell it like it is. I considered myself a hardcore OG geek fans. Now, I still do & am not THAT old (😠), but I see the passion of the "youth wing" of geekdom. It's been a hard few years for us all. I never thought I'd see BBC frak up one of their prize IP's (full disclosure, I discovered DW in the '70s & still consider Tom Baker as the definitive Doctors. While it took me longer to see Hartnell & Troughton, they were the trailblazers. Hartnell, Hurndall & Bradley will always be the First of the Name). I never thought I'd see the STTOS/AS era be the victim of a backstreet abortion (I guess I have to add TNG to that now). I never thought I'd live to see what probably will be the death of comic books. And I'm now VERY twitchy about the MCU/MCTVU going forward (it was a Helluva run guys! First round of Guinness & Bell's on me!). But I got ME, Critical Drinker, my personal Future Ruler Doomcock, WorldClassBulls*****s, & Mr. Nerdrotic Gary (& Mrs. Nerdrotic. Sorry I don't have your name, but you're a rock to Gary & a valued opinion!). I'm happy as a clam to have all y'all out there! Proves I may be crazy on the important stuff (geek & pop culture, "mainstream" movies & Monty Python!), but I got a load of good company in my padded cell. Rock On, Good People!

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

Paul Feigs Ghostbusters Answer The Call in 2016 got me interested in their channel

[@BlackClaw2]

Darkslayer289 I’ve been following the Double Toasted guys since they were still on Spill.com

[@Enriqueguiones]

I know a lot of people that have tried hard to be into movie bussiness. Talented people, with true creative ideas, that have studied cinema, arts and narrative and with lots of finished screenplays and lots of short films on their shoulders. None of them have ANY KIND of chance of breaking out. None of them. Then, we have guys like Colin Trevorrow or Trank. That's how Hollywood works...

[@SuperWolsey]

Least Colin tried to give us a proper Ep 9 before he bolted out

[@encinobalboa]

Nepotism and agenda are the only way to fly...in Hollywood. Can I get you a cup of coffee?

[@IndyDefense]

@@encinobalboa It also helps to be a certain ethnicity.

[@HTx78]

well - that’s how a majority of RL work is.... it’s who you know > not your qualifications

[@williamjones3534]

@@IndyDefense Jewish?or just plain euro?

[@Devilkingliebe]

I feel bad for that writer, Slater. He seemed to really be trying to make an authentic comic book movie.

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

ditto.

[@Omizuke]

My thoughts exactly. And now the poor guy is tied to this terrible movie. Trying to go with comics, using an avengers movie as template. He really seems like at least wanted to do something that will sell as a comic book movie, even with generic formula. And that is what fox needed at the time. They needed something to make money safely. They could take risk later down the line, when on a good position.

[@dericjames2018]

@@Omizuke he needs to work with the MCU movies.

[@billybarnett9518]

Fox could have an answer to Guardians Of The Galaxy if they had made a Fantastic Four movie similar to the MCU.

[@jonbodhi]

Billy Barnett which is EXACTLY what the FF are like. Early issues of the book are practically a sitcom.

[@WarpChaos]

Trank's life story sounds like it would mkae a better film than Fant4stic.

[@TheMasterQuests]

I think it was partially told in Chronicle

[@WarpChaos]

@@TheMasterQuests Except he gave himself super powers.

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@WarpChaos Thats probably what he would've done with the powers too

[@WarpChaos]

@@TheMasterQuests What? Made a better movie?

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@WarpChaos No go after his bullies

[@SuperDarknut]

Oh man All year is going to be filled with 2020 hindsight

[@JLOFlix]

Excellent job, Midnight's Edge!!

[@MidnightsEdge]

Thanks!

[@deanhortin7249]

Takes me back to the early days of Midnight’s Edge ❤️

[@animegamingnerd]

hard to believe this all happen 5 years ago.

[@rebelink]

"But on the plus side" while talking about Josh's weight. unintended pun gold.

[@pawarl.o.s.881]

Makes you wonder, why even keep the rights if you're not even going to use them to make a decent movie

[@namelessjedi2242]

Pure greed. Maybe a dash of spite.

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@namelessjedi2242 Spite was definitely there because Fiege used to work for Fox

[@evertonporter7887]

Just think...Fantastic 4 would have been part of the MCU a lot earlier.

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@evertonporter7887 Could've had them maybe in time for EndGame Reed Richards for sure would've figured out time travel within a week with Pym Particles and with the help of Tony

[@LawrenceW78]

And then ain't life funny in the end, Disney buys FOX and they get the Fantastic Four and X-Men back anyways

[@CapitandodleR]

"This got so bad that he once punched a wall and broke his hand, which to be fair, is a frecuent outcome on hand vs wall encounters" lol

[@rabronin]

It's Trank's own fault for not seeking professional help to deal with his issues. As an in-demand Hollywood director at the time, I'm pretty sure he had the resources and the means to do so.

[@MrClassicmetal]

Quite frankly I do not understand how he got to be such an in-demand director in the first place.

[@bijikedelai]

@@MrClassicmetal probably because Chronicle

[@EvanSol919]

A lot of people are in denial about their issues, the "I can handle it on my own" attitude. Sometimes you need to hit rock bottom before you realize that you need help. Something similar happened to my brother when he was struggling with substance abuse. My parents made him go to rehab but he relapsed after a few months because he just wasn't ready to get clean. When he decided by himself that he wanted to go to rehab he was able to fight his addiction. He's now back in school studying psychology.

[@MrClassicmetal]

@@bijikedelai That was a fun movie to watch, I have to admit. But it's not like he had a decent list of smaller budget movies on his resume. It was only Chronicle.

[@ThisHandleSystemCanGetNicked]

@Aaron Giles He trashed his place mate. Not the dogs.

[@zillauniverse7208]

I really like theses Trankgate videos, I'm glad you're continuing making them

[@superg50zero32]

Since there are no reports of him acting crazy on the set of Capone maybe he's got his sh*t together, at least I'm hoping he's getting help because he seriously has some issues to work out. I just don't want to read online they found his body in a hotel room somewhere.

[@PhoenixWakeStudios]

I honestly believe that hiring younger, promising directors to work on Star Wars, then abruptly firing them is Kennedy's fetish.

[@davidjames579]

Maybe Kathleen Kennedy has some unresolved issues too, that she acts out through work.

[@carlmanvers5009]

Most of us grow out of the time we are bullied as kids and get on with our lives pretty quickly. I guess it took Josh a lot longer.

[@TheMasterQuests]

I got bullied too and I would've moved on the second I made a hit film.

[@carlmanvers5009]

@@TheMasterQuests Yup. Success is the best revenge.

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@carlmanvers5009 fr

[@Aspi3Gam3r]

Classic high school mentality, the greatest challenge many people well into adulthood struggle to overcome.

[@TheMasterQuests]

@@Aspi3Gam3r Some still act like its high school with the dumb work cliques grow up

[@TheJohnnyCalifornia]

It's ironic that what I liked most about the actual VENOM movie was the comic elements that were a lot like THE MASK more than the straightforward action movie story elements.

[@raymondleggs5508]

They basically stole his treatment and watered it down to PG-13 lol, studios steal ideas all the time under guise of hating them.

[@calimerohnir3311]

Josh Trank was subverting expectations before it was cool

[@SuperWolsey]

And showing a pic of his pup's bum was the original "Your Snoke Theory Is Wrong"

[@kylemelo6921]

No.Blame the three writers who wrote Fant4stic.

[@jhenson1618]

Damn, Five years. It's been a fun ride so far. Hope to be watching Midnight's Edge for another Five years.

[@christopherjones5446]

Looking at the stills of Capone makes me think, “Yeah. I should rewatch The Untouchables again”.

[@hamdinger7145]

Great movie.

[@TheDuck632]

Do you really need reason to rewatch The Untouchables other than it's The Untouchables?

[@Kevin_Street]

Thanks for another great mini-documentary! I have not seen Fan4stick and thus have no opinion on it. But I loved your video! You really break down the story of what happened and what went wrong in an entertaining and informative way. The way Hollywood is structured is so strange. It sounds like Trank already had the benefit of an expert on the property in this Jeremy Slater guy. But because Trank had already made a successful movie and Slater had not, Trank's lack of vision prevailed over Slater's advice.

[@nickmattio3397]

“I Get Mole Man. He’s Angry.”-Trank Gotcha well so is Wolverine a lot lol

[@D0NU75]

Juggernaut is also angery and punches walls

[@nickmattio3397]

“Hulk Smash!-WAAALLLLSSSS!!!!”

[@pawarl.o.s.881]

My cousin saw Fant4stick and didn't even pay for his own ticket and still said he felt like he lost money

[@blackrazer22]

lol

[@vincent207]

He may have talent, but Trank is clearly not suited for working on established properties. Hopefully he’ll have better luck on the indie scene.

[@isaac1670]

That seems to be the case. I hope he overcomes his issues though. Living with that kind of deep seeded resentment isn't healthy or productive.

[@laurocoman]

@@isaac1670 There's a little of it in Chronicle, right? The main character is a socially awkward teen that has parental issues. It's a shame, the mockumentary style is not as easy to pull off as some people think and Trank was very creative on it, every shot lingered enough and it was nice to see, the lighting was on par with the tone too. Not everyone belongs in the blockbuster arena, but the guy has some legit skill to film making. If someone could just get him shrink!

[@Liquidcadmus]

I never thought he is talented. he just benefited from the right connections. he could probably work well making advertisements or something like that, but not full length movies.

[@slagit]

Yep seems like he should be let loose on his own material for sure!

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

Or at least properties he HATES.

[@carverl51]

Honestly Jeremy Slater sounds like a cool dude, shame things didn't work out for him

[@MidnightsEdge]

Be sure to check our coverage on his original script!

[@franciscorafaelmontielpale7854]

With how Kennedy is running Star Wars, this guy would have been ideal to keep ruining the franchise, in reality she sent him flying because he would have challenged her and have "creative differences"

[@Caravaggio44]

Damn, his ex-wife is a real gold digger..."falls in love" with him when he's the hottest new director. Drops him like a bad habit when he crashes and burns.

[@evertonporter7887]

That's modern marriage these days...women are attracted to a man's money and success rather than his values and character. When the men are no longer profitable for them, they get dumped and discarded.

[@nickmattio3397]

Cue Jay Cutler. It’s really sad quite honestly don’t ever get married. A California Judge can just throw out a prenup so

[@noone8418]

Everton Porter What do you mean,”these days”? It’s always been that way.

[@slowmoe1686]

I mean... There might be more to it. The man seems like he is, or at least was, fundamentally mentally unstable. Its hard to make a marriage work when your partner has major unsolved mental health issues that are not addressed. On the other hand... Did she not realize that going in? Did she marry him so fast she didn't notice his instability?

[@dswynne]

To be fair, Trank has mental issues that would drive anyone away.

[@ccateni28]

He warned us of Ryan Johnson a year before the last Jedi. 🤣

[@Red0543]

From Capone’s Wikipedia page: Budget: $20.6 million. Box office: $858,281 That’s.... That’s just painful. Dear gods...

[@mysterio7807]

That’s an awesome, old school, profile type of video. It’s unfortunate that meltdown because I think this guy’s very talented and Chronicle is really good. Nice that he’s bouncing back from that.

[@Nobious2]

I've been following Midnight's Edge because of their coverage of Fan 4 Stick. It's a good channel to subscribe to. I listen to all of their stuff these days.

[@jumpingman8160]

Shadow of the Colossus would be rather dificult to translate to cinema. It's an aesthetic experience as much as an imersive game.

[@MrDevious88]

The parts that made the game stand out would be impossible to translate to film. What makes the game efficient is that the players are actively engaging in what's happening. You loose a lot of the game's impact if you're just watching it.

[@taben9jake]

Yea, you could make a vague interpretation of it but im willing to bet it would have little to nothing to do with the game other than giant monsters.

[@AnthonyMcNeil]

Agreed...the trek to get to each colossi...the tactics of finding a way to climb on each one... translating that to a movie will be a disservice...also the VFX would be insane.

[@brycebirkinbine4119]

Del Toro is the only one who could pull it off

[@andresreydecastro]

And Roger Corman's remains the best Fantastic 4 movie.

[@fattiger6957]

LOL, yeah and it wasn't even ever officially released (basically produced under the same circumstances as Trank's movie, just never released)

[@rangers94ism]

It's the only version that I had fun watching.

[@CraigTulloch]

Thanks for using the phrase “Frankensteinian Abomination” in this video. That phrase always makes me smile.

[@MidnightsEdge]

You're welcome.

[@calimerohnir3311]

Is it just me or does kathleen Kennedy seems to have an almost supernatural talent to attract awful directors? i mean D&D, RJ, JJ Abrams and Josh Trank??? That can't just be coincidence right?

[@zenoblues7787]

It's because she focuses on ideology instead of talent.

[@mainepants]

Yeah that is her Super Power!

[@KasumiKenshirou]

That seems to be just Hollywood in general. He got as far as he did because he had connections. People with actual talent have to compete with connected people like Max Landis who have everything handed to them.

[@canonkingsley6569]

That's because she's With Lord.

[@DerekScottBland]

@@zenoblues7787 - ideology? Jesus Christ, did your parents have any children that didn't drink the shit under the sink?

[@alsoknownas875]

Getting all nostalgic about ME now...

[@TwoWholeWorms]

I love it when they splice numbers into film titles. The best one is Sesevenen, though Ththirteenteen and Fantfourstic are a close second and third.

[@davidanttila9305]

Sounds like him, Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy are all right for each other

[@mattjordan6743]

The Last Jedi was three years ago. Move on

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

@@mattjordan6743 But you can still feel the impact in Rise of Skywalker, so I'd say TLJ is still very much relevant.

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

Rian Johnson can at least show he can be a competent director, when handling original stories and ideas of his own. (i.e. Knives Out) He just can't do established franchises well because he'll sacrifice the lore of what made the ip special to a lot of fans in favor of his own agendas and ideas that contradict the lore and spirit of who the characters were before he took them on.

[@SuperWolsey]

@@mattjordan6743 Bog off

[@Aspi3Gam3r]

@@mattjordan6743 fuck off with that shit

[@JustJohnForNow]

For some reason I had been watching the old Trankgate videos just the other day. Didn't even know about Capone! This was a good follow up.

[@davidhouston-goudge7905]

Sounds like Fox tried to do what the Marvel machine does fairly often, take a new and fresh director, give them a 100m+ film and hope for the best. What Fox didn't understand is that Marvel and Kevin Feige's team of writers, storyboard artists, and VFX people already have the outline pretty well ready and only need someone to help shoot the actors. Fox, meanwhile, threw a mentally unstable amateur into the deep end with a doomed premise to figure it out for himself, then replace him last minute and at great expense with the professionals that should have laid the ground work for him all along. It's clear now which business model is the future of franchise film making, especially since Fox is now owned by Marvel's parent company.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

Yeah. Pretty much. People really don't get the Marvel formula and when they try to emulate it, it goes tits up. Remember when Sony tried it with both the classic horror movies AND Ghostbusters? YEAH, HOW'D THAT TURN OUT?

[@Kevin_Street]

That's because the Marvel "formula" is really a production process that requires someone at the producer or executive producer level who knows and likes the properties. That's pretty hard to find in Hollywood/.

[@markmarderosian4025]

Agreed. The Marvel movies are pretty much locked down before one frame of film is shot. The directors are hired not for any "vision" but to physically get the project done with the actors, direct traffic, and get footage over to editing where it's stamped out. The storyboards have to be especially followed when filming commences so there's no surprises in editing and it'll go faster and cheaper. A director like Joe "The Rocketeer" Johnston said after the first Cap movie, he'd never do another Marvel movie. The movie execs aren't open to artistic or creative re-interpretation from a director. Just a body to keep things moving.

[@fattiger6957]

So basically Fox did the same thing that WB would later do with Birds of Prey? (except Kathy Yan was even more inexperienced and undeserving)

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

@@fattiger6957 Kathy was also another activist who felt she had to 'change' the characters to make them more 'relatable, diverse, and realistic' Seeing the shit she did made Trank making the Human Torch Black seem like nothing. Fan4stic bombed, he didn't keep repeating himself about racism causing the movie to bomb but Yan has kept going on and on and ON about how BoP failing was the fault of everyone but herself....and a blue hedgehog.

[@raptorbadger3131]

Your accent makes "body horror" sound like "bobby horror" and now all I can think about is a dark and gritty king of the hill reboot.

[@Nobious2]

Whenever I see "The Thing" in these movie posters, I feel as though I'm looking at Josh Trank's frustrated, rebellious id, hidden in the movie.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

.....is that ID also naked because Ben usually isn't supposed to be naked. XD

[@shademaster6]

So his id has no dick... makes sense.

[@nicholassiple7838]

Im still recovering from seeing Fan4stic in theatres. 😂

[@mariokarter13]

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a Fantastic Four movie, so terrible, it triggered Captain America: Civil War."

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

I avoided Fant4stick thanks to Midnight's Edge.....thanks Andre :] but just looking at the trailers I wasn't interested in the movie anyways lol

[@blackrazer22]

There were people defending this movie right up until it came out. Stating Marvel could not do better.

[@MidnightsEdge]

There were indeed. That is in fact what triggered our coverage. The truth had to be told.

[@nicholassiple7838]

@@MidnightsEdge I always enjoy your content especially these form videos

[@douglasvanderpool9605]

To this day, I have never had the desire to see it and never will at this point. It just seemed then, as it does now, to have been a colossal waste of my time and money.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I honestly forgot Fant4stic existed until people started talking about this recent Trank interview.

[@jonbodhi]

You’ve made the right choice. I’ve only sat through half, which was too much.

[@wowview2]

Great reporting! Wondered why that movie was such a cluster

[@utubeisCensorred]

You can tell by his weight fluctuations he has depression or a disorder. I feel for the guy that he didn't have the skills to work through his personal issues and be a professional...but he also seems like an edgelord without much talent.

[@rrmendoza1]

Wow! This Josh Trank and Fox situation was one hell of a mess! I'm glad his Fant4sticK ended up as a monumental flop for everybody involved. So I Can't wait for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studio to reboot the FF. That franchise deserves a proper and respectable movie! They're Marvel's First Family!

[@SithScorp]

Josh TrANK and Ruin Johnson. Two "filmmakers" that should never be allowed near any project in an established universe. Not naming it F4NTASTIC should have been a hint. TrANK and Kinberg? This project was doomed from the start.

[@blackrazer22]

So true. Too many film makers want to take established properties and "Subvert expectations" like they are being cleaver and edgy. In reality they are just jerks and a-holes.

[@zillauniverse7208]

Tbf, it wasn't Josh Trank fault that Fan4stic sucked

[@namelessjedi2242]

No, they are angsty “high-school creative writing class” level talents who don’t understand how very not-clever, not-edgy they are.

[@evertonporter7887]

Interesting...decades ago we would have thought the same of today's established directors early in their careers. Trouble is, we're acting as if we have the moral/ethical high ground when it comes to judging media.

[@muhaoai4693]

@@evertonporter7887 When the director or cast or crew of a film start acting as though there's something fundamentally _wrong_ with the audience for not liking said film, I think we have every right to judge them from a moral/ ethical point of view. What, just because you have a gay main character, or one from a minority, or simply female, that means I'm obligated to give you my money and watch your film? If I do watch your film and don't enjoy it and tell other people, that means I'm a homophobe, a racist, a sexist, or simply not intelligent enough to understand? I mean, there's a difference between something not recognised as brilliant until much later versus someone throwing out insults or insinuations because they didn't get the success or accolades they feel they deserve. Especially since directors/ cast/ crew nowadays are very prone to spew that sort of nonsense on their social media these days.

[@jrrollins84]

And this was one of the reasons Fox sold to Disney.

[@RVDDP2501]

Woooooooooooww....... Trank's got some serious issues! Seriously, you shouldn't hire a guy with such little understanding/reverence/respect for the source material

[@namelessjedi2242]

The ones hiring didn’t have it either.

[@RVDDP2501]

@@namelessjedi2242 Namely Tom Rothman XD

[@stone-hand]

Except, they do it all the time. The history of Hollywood movies is full of films inspired by works in "lesser arts" made by people who ignored the base material, and sometimes they still manage to craft good movies ("Khaaaaan! " - oh, God, I am a trekkie). The other times, you get a "Fan4stic" , or a "Ghost in The Shell" (which wasn't so horrible, but still fares quite poorly if compared to the anime series or Mamoru Oshii's animated movies).

[@ИванСнежков-з9й]

@@stone-hand, I disagree about "Ghost in The Shell". It was an anti-thesis of everything from the anime series - tone, themes, philosophy, meaning, allegories, (hi)story... It only had some nice visuals from the anime. They even replaced the tree of evolution with a real tree... I'll give one more example... I don't remember what video analysis it was, but it talked profoundly about the city as living organism on its own. GitS original even have some meditative scenes where they show us vistas from the city full of life. In contrast in the Hollywood movie you see no people at all. It's an empty city. Even the highway traffic is devoid of cars, you see one car keeping 100 meter distance from the next one. Social Distancing cars... Sorry for the rant. ;)

[@stone-hand]

@@ИванСнежков-з9й - I agree with everything that you wrote, but it still wasn't completely horrible (almost, but not completely - although I had to feign not to know anything of the original material, to avoid growling at the screen when I watched it... People in cinemas complain too loud when one lets his rage revert him to a great ape) . It is a run of the mill, bad, formulaic Hollywood flick. If you do not know, or somehow manage to ignore for a bit, the wealth of themes and reflections that Oshii and I.G. Production gave to the animated versions (and what's in Masamune Shirow's manga), it is just an average bad movie. Of course, if one has spent hours of his life watching the anime, and has tears remembering the day the Tachikoma went through the city with the little girl, that they managed to do a bad movie starting from that material is a bit infuriating. But let's console ourselves: at least, they didn't make the "Akira" with Keanu Reeves in the role of Kaneda, that was rumored to be in production back in those days.

[@corysugawa360]

It sounds like Trank was trying to be Rian Johnson before there was a Rian Johnson, rebelling and subverting for the sake of both. They even look similar, particularly with their fat heads XDD

[@quito787]

He would have made an awful star wars movie, similar to Ruin Johnson

[@oswin1234]

@Tom The Fish Highly debateable. I think the safe term to use is "well-made". As a movie made in 2016/17, there is nothing wrong with it, with no production problems beyond the unfortunate passing of Carrie Fisher, which didn't really affect THIS film too much. As part of an ongoing franchise and the middle part of a trilogy, it is not a good movie, for a number of reasons not even related to Kennedy's perceived gender politics

[@MrDevious88]

@@oswin1234 When you sever all of the narrative threads that the third movie should have concluded with, you've made a bad 2nd movie in a planned trilogy. Johnson set up the third movie to fail since they'd have to set up, build and conclude plots that should have been developed over 3 movies. If the industry was sane, Johnson would have been made a pariah for sabotaging Disney's Star Wars.

[@davidgantenbein9362]

MrDevious85 There was no plan for a trilogy or else TLJ would have looked differently. Rian Johnson is just the director not the whole production team. If Lucasfilm would have had any plan for an actual trilogy, then they would have easily been able to ensure that TLJ ends exactly where they wanted it to end and in exactly the way they wanted it to end. It’s not like Rian Johnson owned Lucasfilm and would have been able to do something not agreed with Lucasfilm. Yes, Rian Johnson did everything the fans hated, but he was allowed to do so, because nobody at Lucasfilm had a plan about a trilogy at all. It’s pretty much the same case as the so called Matrix trilogy, just three films in a row and not really a trilogy that has a combined narrative.

[@MrDevious88]

@@davidgantenbein9362 The problem was that Kennedy gave carte blanche to whatever the hell he wanted. Abrams had a very rough plan from what I heard and Johnson ignore it. To me it sounded like it was laziness on Abrams' part for not sticking around to sheppard the trilogy. Also Kennedy's contempt of the audience was equally to blame since she thought she can slap "Star Wars" on any crap and expect money to just roll in.

[@jakenight5147]

It's AMAZING how quickly this movie went from a running joke about Michael B. Jordan . To him being the only good part about the movie in front and behind the camera.

[@astrobot702]

I never get tired of saying i LOVE these moratoriums...

[@drextheklingon8300]

I actually saw Fant4stic in the theater a week after it came out. counting myself there was only 4 people in the theater..

[@imaadshahrukh4829]

The making of Fant4stic would make a great movie on par with Ed Wood, The Disaster Artist, and Dolemite is My Name.

[@atomicdancer]

Josh Trank... Max Landis... Amy Pascal... Only 2015 kids will remember ;)

[@mikemaoudj4397]

“A visual representation of Murphy’s Law” 😂😂😂😂 that’s an awesome way of putting it!

[@nicholashylton6857]

Whoa!! Awesome update to the legendary Fant4stic debacle. 👍

[@Siderite]

Now I want to see Trank's director's cut. It was a rights retainer! Just let the man make his film and live or die with it. The personal problems of the director are irrelevant if the studio agrees on a take, then refuse to accept it at the end.

[@jahiemyoung754]

Well that’s too bad, cause most of the cut is kinda unfinished and Trank even said he has no interest of doing it.

[@shermanshecapio3944]

After the disappointing reviews, Josh Trank went on to tweet that he'll "never be working on a comic book movie again.

[@pawarl.o.s.881]

I still haven't seen Fant4stick

[@brunneng38]

Pawar L.O.S. neither have I. And doubt I ever will.

[@PunksterOS]

Fant4stic is one of those films where we feel like we've seen it but we haven't watched it, not even once and yet, many of us can quote some parts of it. Well, that's certainly true of me. It is a shame that it isn't a _"So bad it's good,"_ Film. It was talked about so much at the time, where it is now another example of the really common phrase: *_'It was like watching a slow-motion car crash (or train wreck) that I just couldn't look away from,'_* that's often given, perhaps it is used too much these days but it really does fit here, almost as if it was coined especially for it. Heh, I can even still recall Mike Stoklasa's line in Red Letter Media's review of it: _"It's not Josh Trank's fault, really, it's actually the studio's... It's the studio's for hiring him in the first place,"_ - (paraphrasing). It sounds like an insult at first but it makes sense when you consider Mike's POV.

[@hockey1973]

@Pawar L.O.S. You can safely skip it. IMO it was absolute garbage and can be safely ignored.

[@RocketboyX]

I totally want to see it now.

[@silly688]

it's baffling how in such an ultra-competitive environment as Hollywood Trank found a new chance, such a lack of vision and failure, as fanta4 should be the end of him

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

here's some of why.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmbZkpSnr8x_d9k the movie industry is doomed to collapse, even if the quarantine is lifted right now and studios get back to work it wont save em cus of woke culture and a corrupt system that allows hacks to fail upwards, so long as people can shift the blame to someone else they can fail upwards and do anything.....but JJ's time is about up but as much as the Trank saga soured me on him [his antics not the reporting] I do feel everyone deserves redemption.....

[@matthewgramz3648]

Yeah yeah. Blah blah blah. Movies aren't going anywhere. I hate SJW nonsense as much as everyone else but it won't kill the industry.

[@checkmate7345]

It's not ultra competitive though hence the reason why you consistently see the same actors and actresses in different movies year in year out. Same can be said with directors. But let's face it I knew Josh would be back the moment they said he was finished in Hollywood became he is genuinely a talented film director...The cream always rises to the top. Someone was always going to give him a second chance.

[@vladdebrancovan7011]

Those mini docs where so good though... I started watching Midnight’s Edge pretty regularly after those :)

[@ditsycitykitty3841]

Interesting. I wonder if Trank should only focus on horror. It's a great genre to make people uncomfortable, and also to vent with, if need be. I do hope he's found some sort of anchor for his drifting ship. It's definitely not easy for some personality types and particular experiences. Some things cannot simply be brushed off and forgotten about. Thanks for this vid, Andre! :D

[@ciaranmurren]

Trank did a 3 part interview with Kevin Smith on Fatman on Batman. Covers a lot of his life.

[@katanaridingremy]

A very calm and fair retrospective on a young man who ruined a great franchise property. I only hope that all persons get as fair a take on things that they have been perceived to have ruined in cinema on this channel.

[@katanaridingremy]

@@edwardhewitt9229 I totally agree, and that also applies to Star Wars, Aliens, Ghostbusters, and all the other properties this channel claims to be ruined by this or that person.

[@Dwarficus]

As a man with bi-polar disorder, hitting a wall is better than hitting the idiot in front of you. Broken wall/hand vs jail-time and/or fines. If Trank talks about in an ashamed manner, then he know he did wrong, and admitting it is one step in admitting a problem. If Trank talks about it with pride, then that's one person I never want to deal with.

[@CelestialWoodway]

He had the attitude of some of the most talented and demanding directors like Orson Welles or Kubrick, without the track record and talent too match.

[@doublekix338]

... When studio interference seems justified.

[@Revkor]

yet made it worse.

[@MrDevious88]

THey shouldn't have green lite the script to begin with. Their negligence cost them a lot of money and goodwill.

[@Revkor]

@@MrDevious88 yup. this was very poorly handled from the get go.

[@jimmneedle]

I think the current Hollywood climate deems that there won't be a "next Spielberg". Even Spielberg hasn't really been "that" Spielberg since maybe the late 80's -

[@PatrickSilent]

I agree 100%. They don't make them like that anymore. (Both movies and directors.) I think that Spielberg lost his touch somewhere in the early 90s. His last truly "Spielbergian" film in my opinion was "Always". Not many people talk about it nowadays.

[@SuperWolsey]

@@PatrickSilent and that got referenced in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut along with 1941

[@fattiger6957]

Spielberg's last good fun movie as Jurassic Park. He's made some decent dramas since then, but the adventurous, whimsical Spielberg is long gone.

[@imaadshahrukh4829]

@@fattiger6957 Spielberg did do Ready Player One and an adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG.

[@alexandererhard2516]

@@imaadshahrukh4829 The first of those two is a quite blatant case of "hey I still want to be relevant". But if I have to recommend a 2010s Spielberg movie, it would easily be The adventures of Tintin

[@trickyricky4731]

13:53 That explains why the better half of the movie was before they got powers. After that everything fell apart.

[@PatrickSilent]

I thought the the first two acts of the Fantfourstick were pretty okay. The third act was nonexisting, though. It was a final battle extended to 30 minutes without any dramatic construction. I am able to believe that Trank almost had it, but stumbled along the way.

[@TheNthMouse]

Maybe I just don't get the Fantastic 4, but Trank's fundamental concept sounded interesting. Could've maybe been the heroic version of Joker, or what Snyder was trying to go for with MoS: a grounded superhero movie.

[@Da1Dez]

Been waiting for this for a long time!

[@daghostds]

Tbf Simon Kimberg is a joke of a writer.. So trying to write something good with that guy was probably hell in itself for Trank.

[@MarvellousLookingBeggar]

Although I've never seen Fant4stic, Trankgate was what introduced me to Midnight's Edge. I always wondered if Josh Trank was aware of Midnight's Edge and your picking over the carcass of his career?

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

Call me cold but his 'upbringing' reminds me so much of the sob-story that Paul Feige tried to sell people on to why he was such a 'great' director. It doesn't matter what your upbringing is. You can have a great one, a bad one, a middle one; it all matters what you do with your life but both these guys tried to use their childhoods as some sort of petty excuse as to why they can act like assholes as adults. With Trank however, there's more of a 'yeah yeah, whatever' feeling I get with him compared to Paul who was just so annoyingly arrogant about 'knowing women better' that makes him come off as a massive creeper and that's probably it. Trank has an ego but I don't remember him acting like he was some sort of savior to a specific group with his films, compared to Fiege who acted like all us women owed him pussy for Shitbusters 2016. Ahahaha, no.

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

Do you feel that Feige is a bit of a wannabee Johnathan Harris? Without the work-ethic and demeanor of Johnathan Harris?

[@ghidorah15]

It's Feig, actually. His name isn't spelled like Kevin Feige's.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

​@@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt Paul comes off as that person who's only in a cause for the attention and the awards it will get him, not because he has any true passion for it. So yes....he is a terrible wannabe Harris.

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

@@SuperCosmicMutantSquid Despite the fact that my own personal politics would ask me to support Feig, I cannot, because he blames others for his own mistake of not properly scripting things which - due to their sub-genre - are only successful when properly scripted. When added to the fact that Feig is a woefully sub-par writer, in the 1st place, himself, then chose to "handle" the writing for his greatest failure via reliance on improv, he basically composed that recipe for disaster himself *then* decided to be head-chef as well. When people found the resulting meal unpalatable, he blamed and mocked everyone *but* the person whom cooked the meal. In a most narcissistic manner. In this way he mocks Johnathan Harris, whom was a respected Thespian before television, and very serious about his craft, whom never denigrated *anybody*. Harris never mistook Hollywood for being a 1770's Parisian Salon, while Feig clearly does. He misappropriates fey mannerisms while ignoring proper Queer work ethic and passion, such as incarnated in Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, Roddy McDowall and Baz Luhrmann.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

@@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt In other words, Paul is a ego-driven yes boy at best, hopped up on his own narcissism and 'connections' but once those connections fell through he faded. And more than that, even with the Trank drama even if Trank had issues with what audiences thought about his visions, I don't remember him being as whiny and as petulant as Paul who acted like he was creating something that had never been done before and as if he had to be celebrated for that. Looking back, Trank wanted to make his vision and be done with it. He wanted to make what he wanted and not be disturbed while doing it. His anger seems to be aimed at everyone else within the industry, even those who were more than willing to help and work with him. Paul on the other hand holds Hollywood up on a mantle built on self loathing as well as a constant desire to 'be up there' with everyone else in that ivory tower and felt the only way to accomplish that was to mock the very people who would ACTUALLY be the one paying back for his expensive projects; the audience. And in the end Amy got the book as well so it didn't even matter. Trank may have been one of the few people who told KK to fuck off. At least Trank knows who he is and what he wants. Paul comes off as endlessly thirsty despite offering very little for people, especially after he gets on their nerves.

[@Retroloft556]

I thought the body horror scenes in Fant4stick were by far the best part. I kinda wanted to see that movie.

[@Mjmccoyslean]

This was a better narrative than the majority of films made in the last 20 years...

[@nunyabizness6595]

Josh Stank. Yea i went there. This guy.

[@atreides8002]

The dog got into his “vitamins” and died, hmmm yeah sounds logical.

[@MidnightsEdgeAfterDark]

Probably Vitamin "C"...

[@MrClassicmetal]

Colombian vitamins.

[@raymondleggs5508]

sounds like Wife killed dog

[@atreides8002]

Greg Elchert “my fucking jelly beans”

[@DasMuse]

Defend him and the movie for what ever reasons you see fit. Regardless of the vision he wanted for the movie, he was WAAAY out of his depth and should not have agreed to do a superhero film if he didn't like superhero films... after making a semi-realistic imitation of a superhero film. The guy couldn't get out of his own way from day 1. Of course the studio pretty much set him up to fail, and the only saving grace he has in his favor is that he probably didn't realize the depths of that until it was far too late. Because if he DID know going in, he's a fucking moron for attempting it in the first place. I don't feel bad for him at all, People fail, it's a part of life. He had his dream to be the next Spielberg but clearly didn't have the mental fortitude or professional candor to handle anything beyond a low budget indy film he had primary control of. I do realize "mental illness" is a hot button term now, but I really don't care. If you want to be great in life, you need to conquer those demons with courage instead of falling back to them like a safety blanket. Sure it's difficult, something youth these days treat as a swear word, but like the saying goes "Nothing worth doing is ever easy".... People don't become great filmmakers by being headcases who crumble under the pressure they created for themselves. Only people on youtube have that kind of luck. P.S. Whether Kathleen Kennedy fired him from Boba Fett or he quit, it was a godsend. If K.K. DID fire him, it would be one of the few things she's done right since taking the helm at lucasfilm. Still, she needs to fuck off, or if not Disney needs to expand her lone position with a Tribunal of Star Wars guru's that include Dave Filoni and John Faverau to keep her decisions in check. But getting rid of her completely is a much better option.

[@UncleDeadly1031]

I love long comments that are a rebuttal to an imagined stance. No one is defending this movie or him lol.

[@mariokarter13]

His mistake was making a movie about the Fantastic 4. If he made a terrible movie about Superman people would still be demanding "The Trank Cut."

[@WarpChaos]

Lol DC fanboys are such morons.

[@chrisgreig98]

@Tom The Fish It's not about being dumb, it's more about being pissed at the way the studio treated the guy after his daughter just died, and also for butchering his vision. Now would it have been good? We don't know, but we just want to see how his story would end, I think he deserves that much given what he's been through.

[@chrisgreig98]

@Tom The Fish I'm a soy-boy? Have fun watching your SJW Marvel crap. Can't wait for you to pay queen Brie to take down the patriarchy once more.

[@borgtennis]

I for one love the gritty visuals.They are new and refreshing. The first 20 minutes are good then it falls apart. After seeing this video I realize there was no 3rd act or any act after the initial 20 minutes. It's a shame! He comes across as a Rain Johnson in Star Wars. Funny, lots of actors went on other projects and did well. He comes across as a Rain Johnson in Star Wars

[@joelhenry5489]

Some people just have wounds too deep to see the opportunities in front of them. I always remember in the Dark Knight Returns when they fixed Two-Face's disfigured side and expecting it would turn him around. But it was too late. The real disfigurement was on the inside and it was permanent.

[@EvanSol919]

I found Midnight's Edge looking because of Trank and Fant4stic!

[@mechajay3358]

I can't say I completely sorry for Trank given his attitude and issues he should've worked out before starting of his career, he had no interest in Fantastic Four and just used the movie to boost his own hype. At the same time it was the studios fault for even giving the guy these big projects.

[@cynix1913]

A visual representation of Murphy’s Law...mic drop. Damn guys, brutally true. Excellent job.

[@nightwishfan1991]

I think Josh Trank would have had a promising career but he jumped too far in the deep end. He was set up for failure. He should have done a couple more small budget movies to find his voice then take on a big budget movie. But instead he was thrown into the deep end and told to swim. This is like a person playing well in little league baseball and next week being moved into the MLB. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Hopefully he can look back on this. Make the right moves. And get a second shot.

[@cptace]

This whole situation was sad for everyone involved. That said, I'm one of the few people in the world who enjoyed it.

[@SuperWolsey]

Hard to believe its been five years since Newsarama had its reputation died on that particular hill with those praise puff pieces before the film came out

[@william_santiago]

Will you STAHP with the close up photo! It's giving me the creeps!

[@BlazingOwnager]

Jesus, the only time you should do $100,000 damage in property over the death of a pet is if the property owner killed them and your name is John Wick.

[@pitchbirkley9752]

I’m glad he made a comeback. Sucks to hear that his marriage didn’t last though. That’s really sad.

[@Aspi3Gam3r]

Not really. The woman wasn't a catch herself plus combining a Hollywood marriage plus Tranks unaddressed mental issues at the time and no wonder it didn't last.

[@danhair]

They say there is a fine line between madness and genius. Maybe this guy can prove it.

[@D0NU75]

c'mon buddy, don't dis the Nicolas Cage and the Jim Carrey

[@peregrination3643]

"He punched a wall and broke his hand. This is the usual outcome of fist and wall encounters." Lol.

[@Kurtsg10]

He reminds me a little bit like Troy Duffy (talented hotshot who blew his big break and dynamited all the bridges he build in Hollywood), but it looks like he's recovered better than Duffy so far.

[@kariya56809]

I remember when you were covering that.. had tiers of laughing when you were discussing his "origin story'.. good times.