In a recent interview, Kate Mara (set to play Sue Storm) stated that she was not a fan of comic books and did not read any prior to filming the Fantastic Four reboot. The most surprising thing about that statement is that Director Josh Trank is to blame. Trank asked all cast members to not read any comic books with the intentions of creating his own inception of the Fantastic Four which will NOT be based on any of the comics. Take a look at the interview below.
Q: How do you feel being the new Invisible Woman? It’s a big responsibility.
A: I don’t feel more responsibility with this role that I’ve felt with others. I understand that there are many fans of Fantastic Four and I guess they expect a lot from me, but I prefer not to be pressured by that. We are also trying to create a new way of seeing these superheroes, I’m focusing on making her (Susan Storm) as real as possible.
Q: Do you like comics?
A: I’ve never been a fan of comics, I’ve never actually read one. I was going to for this movie but the director said it wasn’t necessary. Well, actually he told us that we shouldn’t do it because the plot won’t be based on any history of anything already published. So I chose to follow his instructions. The one fact is I am a fan of comic book movies, so it’s very exciting to be part of a movie like this.
Q: What did you think when the audition for this movie? Were you nervous?
A: I was excited, but I only focused on doing the best I could. I think there are roles you get if that’s what needs to happen. I kept everything in perspective although expected to stay with the paper, because the movie has great actors like Michael B. Jordan (who will be the Human Torch).
While Josh Trank has done well with superhero films (Chronicle), I think this is disrespectful to the creators of the Fantastic Four franchise. The film may be great and I will even admit it is great if that’s the case, but to completely omit ties to the original is just a way of capitalizing on the success of a name but not citing the source. What do you all think?
