The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2020

[Crimz]

Don't forget Sue and Johnny should be the same race, unless they copy the last movie and have one of them be adopted. So if you think Constance Wu could be Sue, you also need to consider an Asian Johnny. I assume Chance would be paired with either Freema or Logan, since those three actors are all black.

Also, Freema was Martha Jones in Doctor Who... and I can see her in the role, because that does seem similar to Sue (Martha was a trainee doctor, who ended up working with UNIT and Torchwood, military and clandestine operations - not unlike Sue secretly being a SHIELD agent, right?). I'm not very familiar with what the others have done.

I said that I found Johnny and Ben the hardest to fancast. I think for Johnny a relatively unknown actor would be best as the actors who are the right age may be just starting their careers. So Marvel with all their resources would be better at finding a suitable Johnny than us fans with limited knowledge on potential actors. That's why I didn't have an Asian actor to pair with Constance Wu's Sue, I simply don't know enough about actors at the right age range.

It's the same with Doom. Fans cast the big names/well-known because that's all they know when the perfect Doom could be an unknown actor.

[Michael Watkins]

Casting a big name as Johnny makes sense because he represents the largest chunk of a prospective audience.

[Michael Watkins]

I have several for each:


Reed:

Oscar Isaac

Rahul Kohli

Dev Patel - If they want to go a little younger



Sue:

Evan Rachel Wood

Constance Wu

Freema Agyeman

Logan Browning



Johnny:

Dacre Montgomery

Chance Pedromo



Ben:

Liev Schreiber

Seth Rogen (A bit of an unusual pick, but I can see it)




Johnny's was hard because I don't know many actors the right age. People tend to go for Zac Efron and the like, but he's in his 30s and Johnny should be played by an actor who can pass for high school/college age.

Ben was also difficult because you have to find several of the right traits for him.

I could see Isaac playing Doom. He’s the right age and is suitably exotic in appearance. He’s well known enough that people might not outright reject him. And Seth Roger is an unconventional pick but I could work with that. https://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/...ar-isaac-1.jpg

[Michael Watkins]

Reed - John Krasinski 40
Sue - Emily Blunt 37
Ben- Seth Rogen 38
Johnny- Dacre Montgomery 25
Doom - Oscar Isaac 41
Wizard - Naveen Andrews 51

[Keyotheseasons]

Reed - John Krasinski 40
Sue - Emily Blunt 37
Ben- Seth Rogen 38
Johnny- Dacre Montgomery 25
Doom - Oscar Isaac 41
Wizard - Naveen Andrews 51

My only concern with Seth Rogen is, can he pull off the tortured aspect that Ben is also supposed to have? I have only ever seen him in stoner movies.

[Michael Watkins]

My only concern with Seth Rogen is, can he pull off the tortured aspect that Ben is also supposed to have? I have only ever seen him in stoner movies.

I understand the concern. Rogen, himself, has admitted to having a very trauma-free life. But you should always trust that a funny person can also be tortured. It’s often how a sense of humor forms. But, personally, I don’t want to see that much of Ben being dour. He’s the heart of the team. He’s also one of the more well adjusted heroes. I’d say that most of the laughs came from Ben in the Tim Story movies; Johnny second.

[Frontier]

I can't buy Seth Rogen as Ben by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe if it were a really comedic, almost parody, version but the voice is completely wrong in my opinion.

[Keyotheseasons]

I understand the concern. Rogen, himself, has admitted to having a very trauma-free life. But you should always trust that a funny person can also be tortured. It’s often how a sense of humor forms. But, personally, I don’t want to see that much of Ben being dour. He’s the heart of the team. He’s also one of the more well adjusted heroes. I’d say that most of the laughs came from Ben in the Tim Story movies; Johnny second.

Ben doesn't need or shouldn't be portrayed as constantly depressed. However, the actor playing him needs to be able to deliver a very layered and multi-faceted performance. Rogen may be capable of this but we have yet to see it. So far he hasn't delivered a performance that would lead me to believe he would be a good Ben Grimm.

[Frontier]

Ben has a very distinct voice. I'm not sure if Rogen could really do that.

[CaptCleghorn]

Ben doesn't need or shouldn't be portrayed as constantly depressed. However, the actor playing him needs to be able to deliver a very layered and multi-faceted performance. Rogen may be capable of this but we have yet to see it. So far he hasn't delivered a performance that would lead me to believe he would be a good Ben Grimm.

Ben's mood and personality goes from depressed (understandably so) to the comic (as shown by his wise cracks). He's also the most everyman of the four who through his multiple team-ups with the Marvel Universe. He's a jock who has a brain he almost always hides but test pilots are reasonably well-educated. Now a cursory look at any Thing story will give you one, maybe two of his sides, but to get the whole picture, the entire package is needed. I'm not saying it doesn't sound like fankid entitlement to want a well-rounded character reflecting the entirety of Ben Grimm, but what made the FF great was their multi-faceted personalities. I wouldn't weant to go with four one-dimensional heroes for a big-budget film. I'd want lines and reactions that let people know this is more than just two hours of special effects magic.

[Michael Watkins]

Ben has a very distinct voice. I'm not sure if Rogen could really do that.

No one is sure until it happens. And the movie verse isn’t the comics. Maybe he shouldn’t be the same old curmudgeon that people grew up with in the 60s. That don rickles type is on the way out. It’s just got to be someone who has good chemistry with the other actors. Seth is easy to get along with and a deceptively hard worker. Real hindrance would be him getting involved in something he didn’t have a hand in writing or producing.

[Michael Watkins]

I can't buy Seth Rogen as Ben by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe if it were a really comedic, almost parody, version but the voice is completely wrong in my opinion.

I’ll spare you the now well worn Chris Evans & Heath Ledger speech (but they laughed at the recommendation of Chiklis being Vic Mackie). I’m not the casting director. I just think Rogen is a choice that I overlooked who also meets my artificial standards for a good Ben.

[Michael Watkins]

Ben has a very distinct voice. I'm not sure if Rogen could really do that.

What’s he sound like? And is it something that can’t be imitated with voice distortion (like Smaug)?

[Shadowcat]

So I’ve been having something rolling about in my head over the last few days, but I just have a feeling that maybe the solution to Frank’s problems might lie with Abraxas’s return? Maybe not a feeling, but just a plot point I’d love to see explored.
M

[Steel Inquisitor]

Casting a big name as Johnny makes sense because he represents the largest chunk of a prospective audience.

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How about this guy?