While there has been a lot of talk about 20th Century Fox’s new version of The Fantastic Four, particularly while it was still in development, very little information has come directly from those involved in it. Now, talking to MTV, Michael B. Jordan – AKA Johnny Storm / The Human Torch – has opened up about the tone and more of the new superhero venture.
With his Chronicle director Josh Trank calling the shots and Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell around him as Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl and The Thing respectively, Jordan commented on how the film has been perceived to be in trouble, with various script drafts and rumours that it would be shut down before it even began.
“The script is evolving, you make on set decisions on the fly, things are always constantly changing,” he says. “Me personally, I block out that extra noise and I focus on the job I have to do. It is an important film for all of us… We’re taking it seriously, taking a lot of risks. I think it’s going to pay off.”
According to the actor, this will be another departure for a genre that has shown a fair level of flexibility. “It’s not your typical superhero film, you know, we aren’t looking at this as like, being superheroes. We’re more or less a bunch of kids that had an accident and we have disabilities now that we have to cope with, and try to find a life afterwards – try to be as normal as we can. I mean we’ve just got layers. We’re trying to make it relatable to people as much as we can with these larger than life, larger than this world themes.”
It's strange to hear the actor playing Johnny Storm describe the Four's powers as disabilities; while there are obvious limitations imposed on Ben Grimm / The Thing by his condition, historically Storm has had a fine old time with his ability to flame up at will. Guess this one is darker, eh?
Clearly, however, Jordan is enjoying the dynamic. “One of the good things about the Fantastic Four is that everybody is different. And it’s like, sometimes family doesn’t always consist of your relatives or by blood. Sometimes your best friends can feel more like family than your cousins.”
For more on Jordan’s **Fantastic Four **experiences and the still-developing Rocky spin-off Creed, head to MTV’s site. The Fantastic Four is currently shooting and will be out here on June 18 next year.