Fantastic Four Writer Expected Doomed Reboot to Be ‘Next Dark Knight’

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Josh Trank’s 2015 film became one of the most criticized superhero movies of all time. This was a disappointing outcome for writer Jeremy Slater, who initially believed the movie could compete with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in terms of quality and success.

Simon Barrett, the writer of both the recent Mortal Kombat II and an early draft of Fantastic Four, recently discussed his experience working on the superhero film. He fondly remembered collaborating with director Josh Trank on the screenplay and admitted he was unaware of any issues during production, as he wasn’t on set. Barrett was surprised to see how much his script had been altered when the film finally came out, and before seeing the finished product, he genuinely believed the reboot would be a hit.

There Were Very High Hopes for Fantastic Four

Slater recalls a moment of realization during a test screening. “I sat there and thought, ‘Oh no, this isn’t what I intended at all.'” He admits there was a time, about two years prior, when he was very optimistic. He confidently predicted, “Just wait until you see Fantastic Four. We’re going to have something like the Dark Knight trilogy – it’s going to be huge.”

He explained that you always start a project with great optimism and goals, but things don’t always go as planned. When a writer is working on someone else’s project, they have little control over the final result and can only hope everyone involved shares the same creative vision.

The Reboot’s Reception Was Disastrous

The movie was designed to be the first in a new series of Fantastic Four films, completely restarting the story with a fresh cast. Miles Teller played Mister Fantastic, Kate Mara was Invisible Woman, Jamie Bell played The Thing, and Michael B. Jordan was Human Torch. Toby Kebbell played the villain, and the team had to stop him from destroying the planet.

The movie was a major flop when it came out, losing 20th Century an estimated $100 million despite earning $168 million globally. Critics heavily panned it, giving it a dismal 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – making it one of the lowest-rated superhero films ever. It even won the Worst Picture award, and the director also received the Worst Director award. As a result, any ideas for a follow-up movie were cancelled.

2015’s Fantastic Four reboot is currently streaming on Disney+.

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2026-05-11 23:14