Mister Fantastic:
Before Ioan Gruffud was cast as Mister Fantastic, the iconic Reed Richards wasn't a beanpole. The Fantastic Four was meant to resemble an idyllic 50's TV Family. Reed Richards was broad-shouldered, broad-jawed, and heroic. Somewhere along the line a producer with no knowledge of the comics saw a character description and said "NERD!" before casting a lean but still handsome Welsh actor. Then the comics started conforming to the film and before too long Mister F was a beanpole.
So what happens if we take it back to origin? We need someone old enough, but still youthful and active. We want muscular, but also someone we can believe is a doctor or scientist. We need someone friendly looking. We want someone with brown hair, not black.
Eric Dane is most well known for his role as Dr. McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy. You may remember him as Multiple Man in the 3rd X-Men (or you may be one of those who tries to forget every detail of that movie.) Eric Dane has a sweet smile. He'd look good in the super suit, but we already also believe that he's smart enough to be a doctor on TV. Eric Dane is my choice for Mr. Fantastic.
Invisible Woman:
Susan Storm, or Mrs. Richards, began as a classic housewife type. When the comics first began, like most female heroes, she had a feminine, hands-off power that was so strong that they had to be even more sexist to keep her on level with her team. Susan Storm/Richards would use a burst of power and then, so she wouldn't be too strong, pass out.
Typical woman.
Now Susan is strong, compassionate, a mother, sister, and wife. We need someone who isn't the Hollywood twig, someone who would still be beautiful by a 1950's standard. My choice:
It's a little known fact that Rachel McAdams was the front-runner for the role in the 2005 film. When casting began in 2004, Mean Girls and The Notebook had not yet come out and so The Hot Chick was the most popular reference to her credits. The producers decided that with Chiklis, Gruffud, and Evans (who also hadn't broken out) as their cast, they needed a name to sell the movie on. McAdams didn't get the part (which sucks because she broke out in two widely popular films before the FF movie even came out!) and instead they went with a far more logical choice for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed anglo ideal: Jessica Alba. Alba is charming and gorgeous, but they really should have saved her for someone else.
Human Torch:
Johnny Storm was pretty well cast with Chris Evans, but now that Chris is Steve Rogers and we've changed Susan to someone a little more fair and soft-featured, we need a new Johnny. Johnny needs to be a bit younger than Susan, but still old enough to be a pilot. Johnny needs to be good-looking and blonde. We want pretty and cocky.
Going with the 1950's ideal theme I've had going, I found my perfect fit.
Armie Hammer received recent acclaim for playing double rolls as the Winkleboss twins in last year's The Social Network. Hammer can play the spoiled boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's talented enough to create subtle differentiations between twin characters and still bold enough for a recurring role on Reaper.
The Thing:
Ben Grim is a tougher casting. You need someone who already has a broad build, someone talented enough to make bold choices in a makeup that could swallow a subtle performance. Ben is gruff and masculine. He's funny but also someone who is funny to pick on (Johnny and Ben need to play well off of each other). Without being able to throw Armie Hammer in a room with someone for chemistry, here is my match.So what happens if we take it back to origin? We need someone old enough, but still youthful and active. We want muscular, but also someone we can believe is a doctor or scientist. We need someone friendly looking. We want someone with brown hair, not black.
Eric Dane is most well known for his role as Dr. McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy. You may remember him as Multiple Man in the 3rd X-Men (or you may be one of those who tries to forget every detail of that movie.) Eric Dane has a sweet smile. He'd look good in the super suit, but we already also believe that he's smart enough to be a doctor on TV. Eric Dane is my choice for Mr. Fantastic.
Invisible Woman:
Susan Storm, or Mrs. Richards, began as a classic housewife type. When the comics first began, like most female heroes, she had a feminine, hands-off power that was so strong that they had to be even more sexist to keep her on level with her team. Susan Storm/Richards would use a burst of power and then, so she wouldn't be too strong, pass out.
Typical woman.
Now Susan is strong, compassionate, a mother, sister, and wife. We need someone who isn't the Hollywood twig, someone who would still be beautiful by a 1950's standard. My choice:
It's a little known fact that Rachel McAdams was the front-runner for the role in the 2005 film. When casting began in 2004, Mean Girls and The Notebook had not yet come out and so The Hot Chick was the most popular reference to her credits. The producers decided that with Chiklis, Gruffud, and Evans (who also hadn't broken out) as their cast, they needed a name to sell the movie on. McAdams didn't get the part (which sucks because she broke out in two widely popular films before the FF movie even came out!) and instead they went with a far more logical choice for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed anglo ideal: Jessica Alba. Alba is charming and gorgeous, but they really should have saved her for someone else.
Human Torch:
Johnny Storm was pretty well cast with Chris Evans, but now that Chris is Steve Rogers and we've changed Susan to someone a little more fair and soft-featured, we need a new Johnny. Johnny needs to be a bit younger than Susan, but still old enough to be a pilot. Johnny needs to be good-looking and blonde. We want pretty and cocky.
Going with the 1950's ideal theme I've had going, I found my perfect fit.
Armie Hammer received recent acclaim for playing double rolls as the Winkleboss twins in last year's The Social Network. Hammer can play the spoiled boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's talented enough to create subtle differentiations between twin characters and still bold enough for a recurring role on Reaper.
The Thing:
You may know Adam Baldwin from Firefly or Chuck. Both are awesome sources. Adam Baldwin is masculine, funny, and makes bold choices. Not to mention, his voice is perfect.Dr. Doom:
You can't forget the iconic nemesis when casting a superhero movie. Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Doom! Doom requires a lot-- an attractive man who plays a nice, silky evil. It requires an actor who can be theatrical enough to pull off a performance in a mask. Rumour has it that James Purefoy dropped out after filming a few scenes of V for Vendetta because he couldn't pull-off a deep performance in a mask. Mask work is hard, but who better to handle it than...
Jason Isaacs is the best man for the arrogant, cunning dictator of Latveria. He also has a bit of experience playing evil behind a mask, namely as the Death Eater Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series.So there you have it: my fantasy casting for the Fantastic Four reboot. I can only dream, but dreaming did get me my first choice Superman in the Snyder reboot, so dreams are worth something.
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