In case you missed it, Fantastic Four has been getting battered from pillar to post since it opened a week ago, and the fallout has been a sight to behold. It was clear this was going to be a really bad situation when director Josh Trank tweeted his disapproval of 20th Century Fox's meddling, blaming them for how things turned out. Since then it has been a steady stream of horror stories about the plagued production, some of which we've chosen to ignore because....well, who wants to kick a film while it's down? But now Entertainment Weekly [via CBM] has even more info suggesting that things got so heated that Trank and star Miles Teller nearly had a pier-6 brawl.
According EW's report, Trank was never able to come up with a clear vision for what he wanted the film to be. This went beyond tone, which he seemed to establish nicely in the film's opening act, but into the ill-defined characters. It likely didn't help that Fox was constantly slashing the budget, forcing a number of action sequences to be deleted. However, Trank and Teller nearly added a fight scene of their own as the two clashed on set. This is particularly sad because Trank fought hard to get Teller cast as Reed Richards....
"On set, Trank was said to be abusive and insulting to the crew and cast. The studio hadn't wanted Whiplash star Teller, but Trank had fought for him. Then he ended up almost fighting Teller, who has a reputation for sarcasm and recalcitrance while working. At one point, the conflict nearly became physical, with Trank and Teller chest to chest, daring each other to throw the first punch. Neither did. "
If Trank couldn't get along with an actor he really wanted, how do you think he treated those he didn't ask for? Fox mandated Kate Mara be cast as Sue Storm over Trank's objections, and as previously noted he took all of his frustrations out on her. Presumably everything was cool with Trank and Michael B. Jordan, who he worked with previously on Chronicle. But how about Jamie Bell? What does he think of what's going on?
So this just keeps getting worse, and we haven't even had official statements from Fox or Trank yet, which will only inflame the situation. The funny thing is, if Trank and Teller had actually fought it probably would have been more intense than any fight in the movie, and that's just sad.
