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I was just wondering aloud yesterday when we'd hear about the cast of FANTASTIC FOUR since Avi Arad made it sound like the news would've been announced last week. Well....here we are - the official word is here! Folks, meet the cast of FANTASTIC FOUR!
Michael Chiklis as The Thing
Chiklis was one of the first actors attached to the new iteration of THE FANTASTIC FOUR as first scooped by the guys at www.latinoreview.com. Definitely has the attitude and the size, though I thought his age, since the rumors were the cast was skewing younger, might preclude him from the part. All in all a great choice to play Ben Grimm/The Thing. Chiklis won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002 for his role on the FX series "The Shield."
Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic
Gruffudd emerged as a contender for the role of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic a few weeks back but I wasn't sure how much stock to put in the news (was it Disney trying to drum up interest in one of the stars of their upcoming KING ARTHUR?). But the Welsh actor seems a great fit for the part. My biggest fear was a young actor who wouldn't be believable as someone of Reed's superior intellect. Could you imagine Paul Walker trying to pull off the part? Gruffudd is perhaps best known for his role as Horatio Hornblower in the TV films of the same name.
Chris Evans as The Human Torch
Here's another case of not being able to trust the rumors for fear of publicists leaking their clients name to promote an upcoming movie. In Evans case, he'll be starring in CELLULAR for New Line this September. He's also been seen in THE PERFECT SCORE and NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE. I'm not familiar enough with Evans' work to make an informed decision but based on looks alone, he certainly has Johnny Storm down pat.
Now here's where things get sticky...Jessica Alba is currently the frontrunner to star as Invisible Woman though Variety points out that she hasn't officially signed on yet and should her deal hit a snag, Rachel McAdams and Keri Russell (?!) are back-ups. But assuming Alba's deal goes through and considering I think she's by far the best of the three for the part, let's take a closer look at her.
Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman (?)
Alba's name is a newcomer into the mix that has included a who's who of Hollywood starlets. Rachel McAdams seemed to be the frontrunner but somehow Alba, now filming SIN CITY for Robert Rodriguez, rose to the top. Alba recently wrapped INTO THE BLUE with Paul Walker, once a candidate for the film as well. While the hair is a problem (Alba would have to go blonde) I think her name is by far the best candidate I've heard since Elisha Cuthbert. Great choice.
In other FF tidbits, the film is currently budgeted at approximately $85-90 million and will begin filming later this August in Vancouver. The film is currently slated for a July 1, 2005 release where it would go up against Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3. Tim Story (BARBERSHOP) will direct the film from a script by Simon Kinberg (MR. AND MRS. SMITH)... (That's weird, I thought Mark Frost was being credited with the shooting script...).