Next year will be chock full of blockbusters, including 20th Century Fox’s reboot of Marvel’s First Family: The Fantastic Four. However, there’s not much we know about the film. Since the announcement of Chronicle director Josh Trank at the helm, we’ve been repeatedly told that The Fantastic Four’s tone will be "grounded," meaning that although there are people running around with weird superpowers, the film primarily will have a more realistic feel. Human Torch actor Michael B. Jordan gave us an example of this "grounded" tone last week when he described the Fantastic Four’s costumes as new and fresh "without going to the cheesy superhero outfits."
Yesterday, ABC News caught up with Jordan to get the inside scoop on The Fantastic Four, which is a lot harder to do compared to other superhero film productions. He couldn’t reveal much, but he did elaborate on the costumes, saying, "It's a new look. We are all in containment suits." Jordan also gave some insight on what it’s like to wear these "containment suits."
The costume process definitely took some time to get in and out of that thing, especially since I was bulking up. It was a little more snug during filming. We got through it man. It was a process, but we did it. It was hard work."
In the previous Fantastic Four film series, the costumes were near-identical to their comic book counterparts, and were worn because the suits were also bombarded by the same cosmic rays that affected the foursome. The unstable molecules allowed the costumes to conform to their powers. For instance, when Johnny Storm "flames on," his suit won’t catch fire, and when Sue Storm turns invisible, her suit will turn invisible as well. It sounds like the reboot costumes will have the same abilities, but it won’t be the spandex costumes that we’ve gotten used to seeing in comic books and many superhero films. Perhaps they’ll look closer to tight-fitting hazmat suits. After all, in a world where superpowers don’t exist, four people suddenly exhibiting strange abilities might be cause for concern, especially considering that Jordan described their powers as "disabilities."
Jordan also reiterated that the story will be very "grounded," and that the audience will grow with these characters. The actors and creative team have remained tight-lipped, and though we caught a break when leaked pictures of The Thing and Doctor Doom surfaced online, the three-month production was enveloped in secrecy. Still, even with the little information we know, one thing is certain: this will not be a typical superhero movie. Looking at it from a realistic standpoint, it’s understandable that the audience might feel sympathy for a group of people who have become social pariahs simply because they can stretch, turn invisible, ignite themselves or look like a giant rock creature. One way or another, we’ll see exactly what these containment suits will look like when The Fantastic Four hits theaters on August 7, 2015...or when Fox releases a publicity image or trailer. It’ll probably be the latter.
