The Fantastic Four rumour mill continues to hot up: after Girls actress Allison Williams was linked to the Sue Storm role yesterday, it looks like the Johnny Storm role might also be filled.
TheWrap are reporting that “numerous individuals close to the studio and the actor” are saying that director Josh Trank is considering reuniting with Chronicle actor Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan played likeable jock (can’t believe we just typed those words) Steve in Chronicle, the only popular one of the trio of superpowered teens.
Before that, Jordan made a name for himself with TV roles in Friday Night Lights, Lie To Me and All My Children. Since, he fronted awards-buzz-garnering Sundance hit Fruitvale Station.
As he managed to precariously balance charm, cockiness and superpowers in Chronicle, he’d seem to be an ideal fit for the Human Torch.
The Fantastic Four is set to open in 2015, with Matthew Vaughn overseeing as producer.
Source: The Wrap
Are you glad that the rumoured Fantastic Four cast are relative unknowns? Tell us below…
Comments
glennbunn
May 2nd 2013, 15:46
They do realise that Johnny Storm & Sue Storm are siblings & that those actors look in no way related, right?
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ilikescifi
May 2nd 2013, 15:51
maybe two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) and his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), for whom their deceased mother previously worked.
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dangoodfellow
May 2nd 2013, 16:32
excuse me? i know UKIP are on the rise, but i didn't realise they had a strong TF presence. i certainly didn't expect to have to endure the same c**p my brother and i have gone through for decades for coming from a mixed race family and not looking like each other at all. For the information of the offensively dull witted, i don't look like i'm the same race as my father, mother or brother, and no i'm not adopted, have a step parent or come from a sit com. shame on you, morons. Michael B Jordan was really likeable in Chronicle and seemed to be the only one who truly loved his powers in a 'isn't this really cool!' kind of way ,which is exactly what Johnny Storm needs to be like
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Ali1748
May 2nd 2013, 16:34
Jordan would better suit Luke Cage. The other guy from Chronicle could play Torch.
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smellyhands
May 2nd 2013, 17:05
Just as long as the film is entertaining I dont care who they cast. They can cast a rabbit as the villain for all I care. It certainly would be more entertaining than the previous efforts.
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jejudo80
May 2nd 2013, 18:04
Poor choice of an actor
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Ichi1
May 2nd 2013, 18:31
Poor choice of an actor? Where's Wallace? Jordan can act circles around pretty much anyone in his age range. Plus if they cast him for Storm, then hopefully that means they won't cast that idiot from Girls to play Sue.
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jejudo80
May 2nd 2013, 18:39
Chris Evans was much better suited for that role with both acting and looks
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gwales
May 2nd 2013, 18:50
Where Wallace at, String? WHERE WALLACE AT?!
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darkwave1984
May 2nd 2013, 18:50
hmmmm he was good in chronicle, but er.....hes black, johnny storm is white! This is what annoys me about movies and tv. Everything is so PC! but he was good in chronicle
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marvelboy
May 2nd 2013, 19:56
I'm I don't care if he is a good actor and likeable chap the Human Touch is not African American. I agree he would make a good Luke Cage
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jejudo80
May 2nd 2013, 19:57
I agree. And by no means he is a bad actor. But not for that role.
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smellyhands
May 2nd 2013, 20:18
The Human Torch is not a real person. Make him whatever colour. It shouldnt matter.
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marvelboy
May 2nd 2013, 21:51
@Smellyhead - It shouldn't matter..? This is Marvel 1st ever super team, you don't just change things like that even in 2013 - heck t be like making Superman black
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Ali1748
May 2nd 2013, 22:04
Johnny Storm is a white character though and a well known and popular one at that. I like Jordan but he's wrong for the role, this isn't a minor character like Elba played in Thor this is a key member of the Fantastic Four! Evans was pretty good the first time, Jordan doesn't have nearly the same amount of charisma IMO.
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StevePotter
May 2nd 2013, 22:16
When I saw the headline, I knew it wasn't Dane DeHaan. So I thought maybe Alex Russell, but that wouldn't be too great, but not horrible. I didn't expect Michael B. Jordan.... THIS IS SO PERFECT. Seriously, I can't even imagine someone better in the role. Also, who gives a f**k about the Human Torch being white, or Allison Williams being white? Maybe they're adopted. Maybe they're from a mixed race family. Maybe no one gives a s**t, they cast the right actors for the part, not caring about race. Which they should. What does being white have to do with Johnny's character?
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Murphy0806
May 2nd 2013, 22:29
Rumours people, rumours. If this does turn out to be true though, it will be interesting to see how they deal with it. Tinkering with source material doesn't bother me, in fact it often turns out to be for the better. The original Fantastic Four was a lot closer to the comics than a lot of other comic book films and it didn't turn out all that well. In terms of the ethnicity of siblings, this could be cleared up pretty quickly and may even add an extra dimension to their relationship. Marvel have recently taken risks on casting and choice of directors. We should have a little faith.
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Murphy0806
May 2nd 2013, 22:29
Rumours people, rumours. If this does turn out to be true though, it will be interesting to see how they deal with it. Tinkering with source material doesn't bother me, in fact it often turns out to be for the better. The original Fantastic Four was a lot closer to the comics than a lot of other comic book films and it didn't turn out all that well. In terms of the ethnicity of siblings, this could be cleared up pretty quickly and may even add an extra dimension to their relationship. Marvel have recently taken risks on casting and choice of directors. We should have a little faith.
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dangoodfellow
May 2nd 2013, 22:34
okay, foaming at the mouth aside, this does raise an interesting issue. from my perspective, i have found it initially jarring sometimes to see a characters race or sex changed on the way to the big screen, and haven't always come around. i love Sam Jackson in the Marvel movies, and realise his character was already altered in the comics, but he does still seem a far cry from the cigar chomping grey templed Nick Fury i used to read about. That being said, when movies are reinterpreting american comicbook characters who were initially created in the sixties or before, then i believe the relevance of changing a characters race, especially from white to black has its validity. When Superman was first published, it was a social impossibility that Perry White, the publisher and editor of one of the top newspapers in the world, could be african american. Under american law at the time, he wouldn't have been able to vote or sit in the same part of the bus as Clark Kent and Lois Lane. if Sue and Johnny Storm were from a mixed race family in the sixties, Stan Lee simply wouldn't have gotten away with publishing the Fantastic Four. His own effort to tackle the issue was X Men, but once again it simply would've been too controversial if it featured a black character as a major hero in its early issues. Remember ,Luke Cage was influenced by blaxploitation, in itself a cinematic ghetto for black audiences to watch black characters. None of these superhero characters would have the same restrictions if created today, and that does include Superman. Whilst i always want to see the very best actor for every role in every movie i see, i feel that in the world of superheroes, whose very foundation is built upon the ideals of correcting injustice, we can afford to explore the freedom of reinterpreting what is basically the surface appearance of our favourite characters and release them from the antiquated restrictions that unjust cultural norms enforced on them and their creators in the last century. .....and for non racially motivated reasons i absolutley demand that Adrien Brody play Mr Fantastic
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TheGreatWent
May 2nd 2013, 23:17
So because he played a character with superpowers in Chronicle, this means he is perfect to play a character with superpowers in FF? Mark Ruffalo as The Thing!! Halle Berry as Sue Storm!! Hugh Jackman as Mr Fantastic!! Come on guys...
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smellyhands
May 2nd 2013, 23:55
@marvelboy and whats wrong with a black superman? He's an alien from a different planet. His skin colour has nothing to do with who he is. His creator could have easily made him black when he created him. He didnt because of the times he lived in. Its just a detail they are changing. His character remains the same. I dont see the problem.
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jejudo80
May 3rd 2013, 3:57
Have you ever imagined the Snow White or The Red Riding Hood being played by black woman? Some races just do not fit the role but they do in others.
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jejudo80
May 3rd 2013, 3:58
You can`t always mix and match everything.
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jejudo80
May 3rd 2013, 3:59
You cant always mix and match everything.
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gwales
May 3rd 2013, 9:11
Anyone questioning his charisma needs to give the first series of The Wire another look...
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Ali1748
May 3rd 2013, 9:29
And what exactly from The Wire or Friday Night Lights did Jordan show us that he's able to play Johnny Storm ? All he did was mope around, those aren't exactly the charastics for The Human Torch. Look I am all for diversity but this seems a step too far, I wouldn't care if the actor was perfect for the role but nothing I've seen from Jordan suggests he suits Johnny Storm. If they were to come out today and say Idris Elba was replacing Daniel Craig as Bond I wouldn't care because Elba has the tools and charisma for the role. When I first saw the headline for this story I thought they'd be talking about Alex Russel who seems like an ideal choice for Storm.
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Ali1748
May 3rd 2013, 9:33
Oh and Murphy this isn't Marvel Studios this is 20th Century Fox who are making FF.
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trist808
May 3rd 2013, 10:41
Benedict Cumberbatch to cameo as T'Challa, The Black Panther??
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ilikescifi
May 3rd 2013, 11:58
hi @dangoodfellow, sorry if my earlier comment offended you, i was just being cynical. i come from a mixed family too and i look nothing like either of my parents, i'm not even the same body shape (luckily!) I'd like for this actor to play Storm and for everyone to look past race. It's irrelevant. I agree with everything you wrote. Most of these predominantly white-male superheroes also tend to embody the social values of the 1960's society that created them, which is outdated, and moral-based, as opposed to ethics and logic.
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dangoodfellow
May 3rd 2013, 12:42
no worries@ilikescifi, my reaction was pretty knee jerk, as i'm sure you can understand you get into space where you have to tackle this subject whenever you encounter it, but there was no call to call you or anyone else a moron. it's a touchy subject, especially when combined with comicbook fandom and movie casting . like i said, when characters have a specific racial background, like for instance T'challa, the Black Panther, an african prince of royal descent (ie his bloodline and racial background is inherently linked to his character) then it is ridiculous to cast against that character type, and a bit of an insult to the fans who are the ones that make properties popular enough to merit hollywoods attention. on that note, what's all this i hear about it being RED not BACK ants in the new movie.l
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SiMan
May 3rd 2013, 13:26
on a slightly seperate note, when i first watched Chronicle, i didn't recognise him as Wallace until that bit when there's a photo of him as a youngster shown - i turned to my brother, who'd never watched the Wire, to let him know and felt a little bit of pride that i recognised him. Anyone else ever get that feeling when you realise you recognise someone from something else halfway through watching a film?
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Ali1748
May 3rd 2013, 18:32
I wonder if there would be a different reaction had it leaked that Anthony Mackie was up for the role ? I could totally see Mackie as Johnny Storm.
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