According to every major movie/entertainment news outlet on the face of the planet, the cast of the Fantastic Four reboot is set. I'm a little confused by the choices, but it's hard to ignore the popularity and lure of them.
The biggest name of the bunch is Michael B. Jordan, who's set to play Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch. In the last two Fantastic Four movies, Chris Evans (now Captain America) played the role quite well. I'm all for the casting of Michael B. Storm, and he immediately becomes the big star of the reboot with his recent success and fame from Fruitvale Station and Chronicle — but he's been a great actor since I've seen him star in Friday Night Lights.
The next biggest name is Kate Mara — hot off of the Netflix original series House of Cards. She'll be playing sister of Johnny Storm and love interest of Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm a.k.a. The Invisible Woman. And before any of you can cry out "But Michael B. Jordan is black and she's white and they're supposed to be siblings," just calm the heck down. It's 2014.
Miles Teller will be playing the role of Reed Richards a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic. I'm okay with this choice, as he definitely looks the part of a young Reed Richards. He beat out Game of Thrones actors Kit Harington and Richard Madden for the role. Teller is best known for roles in 21 & Over, Project X and Footloose.
Lastly, Jamie Bell has been cast as Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing. This is the role I'm most intrigued by. I'm not too familiar with Bell. I saw Jumper, but I didn't love it. He was in Billy Elliot, but I never saw it. And he voiced Tintin in The Adventures of Tintin — another movie I didn't see.
It's an obvious effort to make the Fantastic Four younger and more appealing. We'll see if it pays off, as the movie is scheduled to release in June 2015.
You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]
