Something weird about Josh Trank's Fantastic 4

[Beaddle]

This movie got back in the news after Trank reviewed his own movie.. Made me to rethink about this film.

Why did he and him only solely get the blame for this movie. Why wasn't Simon Kinberg equally blamed. The movie's concept had no chance because Fox was wrong to quickly make the film so they don't loose the rights. The film was made in poor judgement no arguments there. What I never understood is how Kinberg managed to escape and went on to gain more power at fox to the point of solely writing and directing an xmen movie all by himself despite the evidence that fantastic 4 was more of his vision and not Trank's. Why didn't fox just fire both Kinberg and Trank in 2015?

Despite my feelings toward Trank unfairly getting the blame, I am still happy that things cut up with Kinberg, he was riding the cocktails of DOFP, a movie that the sole credit goes to Mathew Vaughn and Bryan Singer writing and directing experience and talents, which at that time was nearly perfect to handle the DOFP story because Vaughn had done First Class and Singer had done Valkyrie, a similar plot line of a political assassination like DOFP.


Kinberg finally got exposed as a full hack with dark phoenix but I will still never understand why he went unscratched and Trank took the fall in 2015. weird. Must have been a case of internal connections, casting couch and personal friendships for Kinberg that Fox protected him for so long while Trank got the door.

[ChrisIII]

I think some of Trank's behavior was also an issue, not just the film.

[j9ac9k]

Trank got most of the blame because film is a director's medium. He's supposed to be the ultimate arbiter and the film has to ultimately be his vision. Directors can ask for rewrites or new writers if they don't think the script is right. Screenwriters have almost no actual power. Films sometimes end up something other than what the director wants, but this did seem to be what he intended for the most part.

[numberthirty]

Trank got most of the blame because film is a director's medium. He's supposed to be the ultimate arbiter and the film has to ultimately be his vision. Directors can ask for rewrites or new writers if they don't think the script is right. Screenwriters have almost no actual power. Films sometimes end up something other than what the director wants, but this did seem to be what he intended for the most part.

In addition to this, Trank has said that he had a solid version of the film in the can.

He stepped right up, and made it about himself and the studio behind the film.

Believing that anyone except Trank was going to be central when blame got handed out just doesn't make much sense. If it had gone the other way, it would have been the exact same way with the credit for it being a successful outing.

[WebLurker]

Got the impression that Trank's version was bad, too, just bad in different ways from the final cut?

[Beaddle]

Trank got most of the blame because film is a director's medium. He's supposed to be the ultimate arbiter and the film has to ultimately be his vision. Directors can ask for rewrites or new writers if they don't think the script is right. Screenwriters have almost no actual power. Films sometimes end up something other than what the director wants, but this did seem to be what he intended for the most part.

there are many films were the blame has gone to the writing and producing. look no further than fox own xmen series. Kinberg did get some blame on how X3 came out as a writer and producer. Urgh, it was a stupid decision that Fox did not just stop him there after X3.

I think some of Trank's behavior was also an issue, not just the film.

I never heard about his attitude. He can't be as bad as what Tim Miller is now. I do feel sorry for him, however I think this was the perfect time to have removed Kinberg too. there were even rumours Kinberg did some directing with F4 and I believe it because dark phoenix's direction was mediocre too.

Trank is now tainted, no one wants to hire him. he is only making news when its F4 related.

[numberthirty]

there are many films were the blame has gone to the writing and producing. look no further than fox own xmen series. Kinberg did get some blame on how X3 came out as a writer and producer. Urgh, it was a stupid decision that Fox did not just stop him there after X3.

...



I never heard about his attitude. He can't be as bad as what Tim Miller is now. I do feel sorry for him, however I think this was the perfect time to have removed Kinberg too. there were even rumours Kinberg did some directing with F4 and I believe it because dark phoenix's direction was mediocre too.

Thank is now tainted, no one wants to hire him. he is only making news when its F4 related.

Then, it must have been just you that didn't hear...

- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...ame-fox-814764

'Fantastic Four' Blame Game: Fox, Director Josh Trank Square Off Over On-Set "Chaos"

Before the film opened, the director tweeted that he had made "a fantastic version" of the film that audiences would "probably never see."

Days before Fantastic Four opened, director Josh Trank sent an email to some members of the cast and crew to say he was proud of the film, which, he wrote, was "better than 99 percent of the comic-book movies ever made."

In Trank's case, multiple sources associated with the project say the director did not produce material that would have opened the way to a salvageable film. And by several accounts, he resisted help. "He holed up in a tent and cut himself off from everybody," says one high-level source. Literally, there was a tent on the Louisiana set. "He built a black tent around his monitor," says a crewmember. "He was extremely withdrawn." Between setups, this person adds, "he would go to his trailer and he wouldn't interact with anybody."

[Beaddle]

Then, it must have been just you that didn't hear...

- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...ame-fox-814764

So no headline of Kinberg? I still don't see how this make Trank look bad 100%, it feels more like a power struggle was going on between him and the other person who was also directly responsible for the film.

James Mangold was withdrawn with Logan, so was Bryan Singer with X1/X2. they did not make F4.


I never new much about the film before its release. I only paid attention after the aftermath of the flop.

[numberthirty]

So no headline of Kinberg? I still don't see how this make Trank look bad 100%, it feels more like a power struggle was going on between him and the other person who was also directly responsible for the film.

James Mangold was withdrawn with Logan, so was Bryan Singer with X1/X2. they did not make F4.


I never new much about the film before its release. I only paid attention after the aftermath of the flop.

Most folks that have done so would be able to tell you that Kinberg has admitted to dropping the ball.

[XPac]

Got the impression that Trank's version was bad, too, just bad in different ways from the final cut?

We should start trending for a Trask cut to find out for sure.

Might make for a nice DVD boxed set along with the Snyder Cut.

[j9ac9k]

So no headline of Kinberg? I still don't see how this make Trank look bad 100%, it feels more like a power struggle was going on between him and the other person who was also directly responsible for the film .

99.9% of films have those kind of struggles to one degree or another. A big-budget film, even more so. Part of a director's job is to navigate those waters and put out a good film. Other people do look bad from F4 as well, (so Trank hasn't gotten 100% of the stink) but yes - Tranks gets most of the heat as he should and unless the films was taken out of his hands he bears the responsibility.

[Michael Watkins]

i liked the first half of the movie. it's when they tried to be more Avenger-y that it all fell apart. they hired Trank because of Chronicle; a dark "superhero" tale. then they took issue with him making it like Chronicle (dark). just listen to the dialogue in the last scene. the tone is completely different from what came before. it's clear studio interference. they should have had the guts to go full horror or use different characters entirely.

[Beaddle]

i liked the first half of the movie. it's when they tried to be more Avenger-y that it all fell apart. they hired Trank because of Chronicle; a dark "superhero" tale. then they took issue with him making it like Chronicle (dark). just listen to the dialogue in the last scene. the tone is completely different from what came before. it's clear studio interference. they should have had the guts to go full horror or use different characters entirely.

I don't think Fantastic 4 as a horror film was the best choice, that been said, I do wish they had planned it right and it had less studio interference but it does expose a lot of what went on. Trank should still have a career after this movie though.

99.9% of films have those kind of struggles to one degree or another. A big-budget film, even more so. Part of a director's job is to navigate those waters and put out a good film. Other people do look bad from F4 as well, (so Trank hasn't gotten 100% of the stink) but yes - Tranks gets most of the heat as he should and unless the films was taken out of his hands he bears the responsibility.

A very good point raised. perhaps why I always prefer for a director to just walk away and say the usual creative differences than stay on witness their film crash and burn and then start complaining about it.

Trank should have walked, Fox never really cared, they only made the film when they realised if there was no F4 movie by 2015, the rights would go back to marvel. you can't make a movie on that thinking and expect it too succeed, its just another form of bad film making by studios.

[AnakinFlair]

Trank's behavior on the set of Fantastic Four is infamous. I remember something about a rental house that he just destroyed during filming. He was up to do a Star Wars film after FF- I think it may have been a Boba Fett movie- but his behavior was so bad that Disney fired him and canceled the project.

That being said- I'm sure that some of the blame rested with the script, and some of the blame rested with Fox- probably more with Fox than Kinsberg, though.

[Banner]

Someone put a lot of effort into finding info about the production: https://filmboards.com/board/p/3032070/latest/

This movie was destined to experience a lot of backlash from the internet community no matter how it turned out since it was seen as a rights grab, as already mentioned in the original post. The rights were just about to return to Disney, and so Fox rushed the whole thing.

Trank did have huge ambitions for the movie, but the script had to be amputated and edited to such degree that it was just a shadow of its former self according to the rumors. And the budget ended up being much smaller as well. Especially the ending suffered from all of this. Crash Test Doom could easily have killed them all, but was still defeated. And he had zero motivation for trying to destroy the Earth.
So I do get that Trank feels a little bitter about the whole experience.