Kate Mara is one of the stars of the new Fantastic Four film, playing the Invisible Woman aka Sue Storm. Currently doing promotion for Transcendence, she was asked about the superhero tentpole slated for release next summer. And while it's still early and she doesn't know much about the production, she's clearly amped about being a part of the comic book movie world, even if she doesn't seem to have any idea who the Fantastic Four really are. Here's IGN's video interview segment that has Mara talking about her take on Sue Storm and what she knows about the Fantastic Four film:
The first part that sticks out about this video is the quote below.
"I think we're making a very grounded version of a superhero film. I just trust Josh Trank's vision, I was a very big fan of Chronicle."
Which... okay... grounded. This is The Fantastic Four we're talking about. Deep space adventures. Monsters and madmen. Rock people and flame-shooting. Her character is still The Invisible Woman, right? Or is she invisible in a metaphorical sense? Regardless, we already knew they were making a slightly "grittier" film than the PG-rated originals, so this isn't exactly note-worthy. However, then she says,
"I don't know that there is a suit. People keep saying that to me but I don't even know that there's a suit. Maybe there is. As of now I have not tried on a suit."
Well. The big question here is, has Ms. Mara read the script? There's a good chance she hasn't, and her and her castmates have signed on blindly, common practice for many blockbusters.
But maybe she has read the script. And maybe the grounded approach has to do with the "costumes" the characters wear. In the original film, the comics' baby blue bodysuits were preserved, though Chris Evans' Human Torch makes a joke out of it by selling ad space on the outfits. These superhero movies have brushed up hard against the reality of costumes in a plausible scenario: in real life, would the Fantastic Four actually wear them? Surely you can get across the idea of a stretchy man, a rock guy, a lady who can't be seen and a fire dude without costumes, right? Maybe we'll see a Fantastic Four in jean jackets and baseball caps. Fidelity may be important to some, but do you really need costumes to tell the story of the Fantastic Four?
Or maybe Mara really just ain't paying attention and there totally are costumes.
Fans are wary regarding next year's The Fantastic Four. It's not the talent involved: everyone's high on director Josh Trank. But Fox has had two opportunities to get the characters right, and most think the last film, which stayed close to the lightweight spirit of the comics, was otherwise made by, ah, under-equipped personnel. It only makes sense that Fox would try to change things, making a radical departure from the comics. But just how radical is this version going to be?
The Fantastic Four opens June 19th, 2015.
