Director Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox reportedly clashed over the Fantastic Four cast


With Fantastic Four limping to a dismal $26.2 million this weekend — an embarrassing total for 20th Century Fox, which hoped to launch an entire franchise on the back of the film — people are already beginning to dissect how it all went wrong. And while it sounds like plenty of blame can be laid at the feet of both Fox and director Josh Trank for Fantastic Four's various missteps, inside sources tell Entertainment Weekly that there were problems from the very beginning.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source reports that Fox and Trank clashed over which actors to cast in the lead roles. Though both sides agreed on casting Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, the studio wanted a different actor than Miles Teller to play Reed Richards. Trank won that round (though he and Teller eventually "developed a mutually disdainful relationship on set.")
But against Trank's wishes, Fox insisted on casting Kate Mara as Sue Storm — a choice that sources claim had a major impact on how she was treated on set. Trank "treated [Mara] badly as a result," says Entertainment Weekly. "Some say he was cruel, others say merely cold. No one says they got along."
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For more on what went wrong with Fantastic Four, click over to Entertainment Weekly.
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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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