Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

According to Variety, another script for FF2 has been written that includes the Silver Surfer. The producers are now considering which of the two shooting scripts to go with.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/fa...ws.php?id=4189

In the past, director Tim Story has stated that he doesn't want to do the Galactus story because it isn't as much about the Fantastic Four themselves as it is about spinning off a character into a new series. I agree and feel that it is too soon for such a big story. I mean, we've only just seen the origin of the team, so why plunge them into battle with a planet-eating giant from another dimension. I prefer "realism" in the Marvel Universe. I'd rather see Doctor Doom, ruler of Latveria, in the next one. If they must do Galactus/Silver Surfer, save it for the last movie in the series (a quadrilogy?).

FYI, here's the latest Marvel movie slate:

2007:
Ghost Rider (Sony) - Feb. 16, 2007 release
Spider-Man 3 (Sony) - May 4, 2007 release
Fantastic Four 2 (Fox) - July 4, 2007 release*

2008: (all Marvel produced)

Hulk 2*
Iron Man*
Captain America*
Thor*
Ant Man
Nick Fury

2009 and beyond:

Doctor Strange*
Power Pack
Avengers
Hawkeye
Black Panther
Cloak & Dagger
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu

*the projects I'm really jazzed to see!

Marvel Entertainment reports:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060504/20060504005406.html?.v=1

I'm interested to see what they'll do for the sequel. AS long as they include the Fantasticar!!

I've heard that the Fantasicar will be in the movie, David. And it will separate into four parts just like in the comics. I'm sure I saw the conceptual designs for it somewhere but I can't recall where...

Power Pack?! They're making a Power Pack movie?!

Dr. Strange is the only one of those I'm that jazzed about.

What happened to the Iron Fist movie?

I think they've been talking about getting a live action Power Pack in some format for about twenty years now.

Dr. Strange is right up there on my "can't wait to see" list. The Lee/Ditko origin read like a movie the first time I read the comic. And those crazy Steve Ditko dimensions!



It was great just to hear mention of Dr. Strange in Spider-Man 2!

Iron Man is another project I hope is done well, because his was the first comic book I seriously began collecting as a kid.

As for Power Pack... because it is a comic that my wife - who's ten years younger than I am - grew up reading, I'd love to see it done right for her. There was a TV pilot made in the '80s but so much had been altered. I don't think there were even aliens in it.

I'm amazed to see the Avengers on that list because I don't see how they could do the movie. I'm not a fan of super-hero teams that are just a conglomoration of major heroes with their own mags (ie. Avengers, Justice League). They never seen to act as smart as when in their own comic. Too cramped. On the other hand, teams that were conceived as such from the outset - like F.F. and X-Men - work better.

I just can't see an Avengers movie starring Iron Man, Thor and Captain America (to say nothing of the Hulk!) I figure if they do make an Avengers film it will feature "second-stringers" like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, etc.

Thanks JoSan, LOVE that classic Ditko art for Dr. Strange. Some really "out there" surrealistic stuff. However, I imagine the movie will be more reality based and probably Earth-bound/NYC set rather than featuring inter-dimensional travel.

Dr. Strange, X-Men, & Punisher were my favorite Marvel books (and Alpha Flight, but no way is a Canadian group getting a movie).

Outside of those I enjoyed several of the toy-based books (Micronauts, Rom: Space Knight, Shogun Warriors ) that I could see making viable movies, but those books were probably tied to licenses that Marvel no longer has the rights to, and with those toys no longer being distributed, there isn't much impetus to put them in movies anyway.

I don't think we really need a FF sequel, I don;t think the original film was very good. Now that the team is established, I'll give it the benifit of the doubt.

I'd love to see a Garth Ennis Nick Fury film.

The Fox production team of F.F. was in Vancouver scouting for F.F. 2 and filming is set to begin in the summer.

Vancouver Sun

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/v...5-8a15f00bdda5

Avi Arad recent words on FF2:

"It's a couple of years later and we get to see what their life is like. What else is there for them to accomplish, what issues are in their lives, where's Doom? ... They'll be some pretty big surprises. What we're trying to do is not to show [Galactus], but to show someone else, initially."

"Initially?" That has me a bit worried. Personally, I don't see the appeal of Galactus and would rather he didn't appear in any FF movies. If they want to use him make a seperate Silver Surfer movie.

I'd rather see Puppet Master in FF2 and Doom's return in FF3.

Dr.Strange? Does anyone remember the TV movie based on the character? Wonder who has the rights to that and how to get it on DVD?

PatH

That was Universal I believe.

I remember watching it when it first aired. It starred Peter Hooten and Jessica Walters and it wasn't too bad, actually. I remember thinking that the clothes he was wearing throughout the movie was more like the comic book than the colorful costume he wore at the end. IIRC, it was orange and yellow or something! Really, unlike the comic book costume, anyway.

I'm frankly a bit shocked they're making a FF sequel - was the first one financially successful enough to warrant a second? And frankly, the first film was, IMNSHO, terrible. Awful dialogue, cardboard acting and characterization, and more. I'm somewhat sorry for being a thread-crapper - you'll note I'm not trying to criticize any peolple here, just the quality of the first movie and the demand for a second. I saw this one someone who is far less picky than me about movies, and she thought it was awful, too.

Just to say something positive...the one thing that seemed "right" or well done in the first move was the Flame; thought Chris Evans nailed the right atttitude and sense of exhiliration. So don't say I didn't write anything nice!

I guess I find the cheez factor rather endearing. I just watched it today for the third time and still find it entertaining, even if it does seem like the red-headed step-child of comic superhero movies. I can't wait for FF2.

If the second film crashes and burns, then they'll definitely think twice about continuing the series. But if the sequel can out-gross the original, much like the X-Men series (which, WRT box office, it shadows closely), then it becomes another franchise with a license to print money.

just to clarify, what I was suggesting was- when adapting material that was originally told in multi-issue arcs, do the films ala 'Kill Bill'.
stick to a spfx budget intended for a typical 2 hour movie like this, but fill the other two hours with interesting (and low overhead) character material.
then ballyhoo them as special events. It didn't work for the Matrix, for various reasons, but it did for Kill Bill, LOTR and others.

and I didn't find much to like about the FF film either, but I was hoping now that we have the tedious and unimaginitive first-film-ineeds-to-be-an-orgin out of the way, that we might actually get a good adventure- though It would still be saddled with some woeful casting choices (of which Evans was really the only one to make a positive impression, imo).

Paul, I agree with you completely about the serial nature of this stuff. I think you and I both said that about X-Men 3 before it came out. And, in my estimation, that movie could have benefited from some better character moments. It also wouldn't have hurt the Phoenix storyline to be the focus of an entire movie by itself.

In regards to FF, I thought the original was quite average, and was really hurt by some of the casting choices. I also didn't like Doom's new origin. However, I see potential for a sequel, especially if they were to do what Paul has suggested. Just imagine how cool it would be to see FF2 end with Galactus approaching Earth after the Fantastic Four has dealt with the Silver Surfer throughout the movie.

Maybe this one will actually be good?

Nahh, the formula worked financially; why would they need to grow a brain and actually try to make a seriously good film with good actors, situations, action, and story (instead of the bad Story...Tim, that is)

We are talking about Fox which doesn't seem to care much about their franchises.

The first one was frontloaded and stunk it up after the opening weekend - usually a sign of poor word of mouth.

I can't believe they're making a sequel - this thing is going to bomb.