The Fantastic Four (unreleased film)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) |
The Fantastic Four | |
---|---|
Directed by | Oley Sassone |
Screenplay by |
|
Based on | |
Produced by | Steven Rabiner |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Mark Parry |
Edited by | Glenn Garland |
Music by |
|
Production company | |
Distributed by | New Concorde |
Release date | May 31, 1994 (unreleased) |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Countries | Germany United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1 million |
The Fantastic Four is an unreleased 1994
Plot
Ten years later, Reed, Susan, Johnny and Ben participate in a mission in an experimental spacecraft of Reed's as the same comet passes Earth. Unbeknownst to them, a crucial diamond component designed to protect them from the comet's cosmic rays, has been replaced with an imitation by a criminal named The Jeweler, leaving them exposed to the radiation.
After crash-landing on Earth they discover that the cosmic rays have given them special powers: Reed's bodily structure has become elastic, Susan can become invisible, Johnny can generate fire on demand and Ben has transformed into a creature with stone-like skin.
They are later captured by men posing as Marines and are taken to Victor who has become the villainous monarch Dr. Doom. They escape and meet at the Baxter Building, trying to decide how to move forward with their superpowers. An angry Ben leaves them to go out on his own, feeling he has become a freak. He is found by homeless men and joins them in the lair of the Jeweler.
The Jeweler has his henchmen kidnap blind artist Alicia Masters whom he plans to force into being his bride, intending to use the stolen diamond as his wedding gift to her. Doom, who has his own plans for the diamond, sends his henchmen to The Jeweler to make a deal for it but to no avail. Doom seizes the diamond himself, and a gun battle breaks out between his men and The Jeweler's. When Ben enters the fray, Doom takes Alicia hostage. When Ben threatens to 'clobber' Doom, Alicia begs him not to risk it and confesses her love for him. Her confession changes Ben back to human form and he flees into the city streets. Frustrated at his helplessness he reverts to the Thing.
When Ben returns to his friends, Reed has learned that Doom is actually Victor. Doom contacts them and threatens to use the diamond to power a laser cannon that will destroy New York City unless they surrender to him. Realizing they are the only ones who can stop him, they don costumes and travel to Doom's castle where they confront waves of his military forces. As Reed battles him, Doom manages to fire his laser but is knocked off a balcony wall. As he clings to the wall Reed tries to rescue him but Doom's gauntlet comes loose and he falls into the fog below. His gauntlet (still on the balcony) starts to move on its own. Meanwhile, Johnny has become the Human Torch and flies off to intercept the laser's shot, deflecting away from the city and into outer space. Ben frees Alicia and finally introduces himself to her. She feels the rocky surface of his face but is not fazed by his altered appearance. The Four dedicate themselves to fighting evil and Reed and Susan marry.
Cast
- Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
- Rebecca Staab as Susan Storm / Invisible Woman
- Mercedes McNab as Young Susan Storm
- Phillip Van Dyke as Young Johnny Storm
- The Thing
- Joseph Culp as Victor Von Doom / Dr. Doom
- Kat Green as Alicia Masters
- Ian Trigger as The Jeweler
- Annie Gagen as May Storm
Production
In 1983, German producer
Production began on December 28, 1992, under direction of music video director Oley Sassone, lasting for 21 days[3] or 25 days.[4]
Costume designer Réve Richards recalled in 1993 going to
Marketing and release plans
A 1993 magazine article gave a tentative release date of
Suddenly, the premiere was halted, the actors received a cease and desist order on all promotion from the producers, and the studio confiscated the negatives.[12] Eichinger then informed Sassone that the film would not be released. Speculation arose that the film had never been intended for release, but had gone into production solely as a way for Eichinger to retain rights to the characters; Stan Lee said in 2005 that this was indeed the case, insisting, "That movie was never supposed to be shown to anybody," and adding that the cast and crew had been left unaware.[13] Corman and Eichinger dismissed Lee's claims, with the former stating, "We had a contract to release it, and I had to be bought out of that contract" by Eichinger.[11] Eichinger called Lee's version of events "definitely not true. It was not our [original] intention to make a B movie, that's for sure, but when the movie was there, we wanted to release it."[11] He said future Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad, at this point, in 1993, a Marvel executive,
...calls me up and says, "Listen, I think what you did was great, it shows your enthusiasm for the movie and the property, and ... I understand that you have invested so-and-much, and Roger has invested so-and-much. Let's do a deal." Because he really didn't like the idea that a small movie was coming out and maybe ruining the franchise.... So he says to me that he wants to give me back the money that we spent on the movie and that we should not release it.[11]
Arad recalled in 2002 that while on a trip to Puerto Rico in 1993, a fan noticing Arad's Fantastic Four shirt expressed excitement over the film's upcoming premiere, of which Arad said he was unaware. Concerned how the low-budget film might cheapen the brand, he said he purchased the film "for a couple of million dollars in cash" and, not having seen it, ordered all prints destroyed, in order to prevent its release.[14]
Although never officially released to the general public, but exhibited once on May 31, 1994, The Fantastic Four has been subject to bootleg recordings. The film is available to be watched on YouTube and Dailymotion.[15]
Critical reception
On the review aggregation website
Aftermath
Eichinger continued negotiations to produce a big-budget adaptation, speaking with directors including
Doomed documentary
A documentary about the film, Doomed!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four, with Corman and the rest of the cast and crew explaining what transpired with the film and its production, was released on July 10, 2015.[24]
In popular culture
In 2013 a main story arc in
References
- ^ Ito, Robert (March 2005). "Fantastic Faux!". Los Angeles. p. 109.
- ^ a b c Ito, p. 110
- ^ a b c Ito, p. 111
- ^ Gore, p. 40
- ^ Gore, Christian (October 1993). "What Do You Take Us 4?". Film Threat. Vol. 2, no. 12. p. 30 (sidebar: "Stunning Storyboards"). Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Gore, p. 31
- ^ Gore, p. 33 (sidebar: "FF FX")
- ^ a b Gore, p. 33
- ^ Gore, p. 41
- ^ "The Fantastic 4 Marvel Won't let You to See". Proudly Resents: The cult movie podcast. August 10, 2014. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Ito, p. 218
- ^ Steve Huff (August 10, 2015). "Fantastic Four Fizzled at the Box Office But Roger Corman's 'Lost' Version is Here to Save The Day". Maxim. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ Ito, p. 108
- ^ a b Ito, p. 219
- ^ "DOOMED! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's THE FANTASTIC FOUR". Newsarama. January 29, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ "Fantastic Four (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Morris, Clint (November 5, 2002). "The Fantastic Four". Film Threat. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "The Fantastic Four Film You Weren't Meant To See". Flickering Myth. August 2, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "'Fantastic Four' Reboot Gets A 2015 Release Date". Screen Rant. December 8, 2012. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (March 19, 2019). "Disney Closes $71.3 Billion Fox Deal, Creating Global Content Powerhouse". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Vary, Adam B. (July 23, 2022). "Marvel Studios' Phases 5 and 6: Everything We Learned at Comic-Con About the Multiverse Saga". Variety. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Couch, Aaron; McClintock, Pamela (February 14, 2024). "Fantastic Four Cast Revealed for Marvel Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four". IMDb. July 10, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ "Arrested Development Pokes Fun at Fantastic Four Rights Situation". Retrieved April 23, 2015.
External links
- The Fantastic Four at IMDb
- The Fantastic Four on YouTube
- The B Side (Roger Corman interview). The Leonard Lopate Show, New York Public Radio. April 1, 2005. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011.