There may be some serious damage control needed if Fantastic Four turns out to be the box office disaster the early reviews (including my own) have set it up to be. And while director Josh Trank is already getting hit with some of the shrapnel, the film's stars will probably walk away unscathed. Kate Mara, who played Sue Storm in the superhero movie, has lined up what could be a major lead role in the true story of an Iraq War hero.
Mara is set to star as Megan Leavey in an untitled biopic based on the Iraq War soldier's story. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) with Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids) having done some revisions on the screenplay, the film centers on Leavey, a member of a Marine K9 bomb-sniffing unit alongside her combat dog, Rex. They served two tours together in Iraq and went on over 100 missions, until they were both wounded in an explosion in 2006. Discharged from the military after receiving a Purple Heart, Leavey fought for the next five years to adopt Rex, who had been kept on active duty, ultimately succeeding not long before he was scheduled to be euthanized.No word on when this will roll but producers may want to wait and get some distance from Max, the combat dog drama that only recently left theaters. Mara will be seen later this year in Ridley Scott's The Martian, alongside Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain. [Deadline]
