In 1995, screenwriter Michael France (Cliffhanger, Goldeneye) was hired by 20th Century Fox to write a script for the Fantastic Four movie to be directed by Chris Columbus. What he delivered was an interesting take on the World’s Greatest Comics Magazine. Clocking in at 160 pages, the screenplay contains a great deal of action, character development, drama and the right amount of humour. While casting never took place, it is believed former super-couple Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan were considered for the roles of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. Alan Rickman and Geoffrey Rush were rumoured for Doctor Doom. Although executives loved the script, budget factors caused the film to be placed in development hell.
The script begins with a view of the “futuristic, yet realistic” FF-4 Phoenix spacecraft, which the author describes as a “brand new hybrid of a space shuttle and “Kirbyesque.” We are introduced to Reed Richards and Susan Storm, who are collaborators at the Office of Technical Innovation. The spacecraft has been Reed’s passion project for eleven years and billions of dollars. Although he is intent on going into space, Reed is deeply in love with Sue, to whom he is engaged. Sue is described as a respected physicist who is fielding several job offers from many universities.
Commander Ben Grimm has been hired by Reed to co-pilot the shuttle, and he is less than enthusiastic about being given orders. Further adding to his ire is the presence of Sue’s brother Johnny, a cocky young test pilot who serves in the Air Force. In a high-speed scene, Johnny arrives at the rocket launch via motorcycle while romancing a woman. From his introduction, he is shown to be an adventurous type, but he deeply cares for his sister. Ben is less than happy about having to pilot the shuttle with Johnny, because NASA assigned him to watch over the younger man.
Upon arriving at the International Space Station, they meet astronaut Victor Obretch, a “driven, aloof Russian man in his thirties” who is “handsome and brilliant – and unspeakably arrogant about both qualities.” Reed and Victor want to experiment with nanotechnology and rearrange the atomic structure of molecules. Whereas Reed wants to cure disease and ailments, Victor is obsssed with reconfiguring living organisms.
During a test demonstration, Reed and Victor turn a wooden log into a bar of steel, which excites both of them. When Ben is trapped outside while fixing a thruster, Reed, Sue and Johnny attempt to rescue him while Victor presses ahead with his experiment of bio-nanotechnology. Unknown to the others, Victor deliberately planted the malfunction to lure Ben near the nanonchamber. As explosions rock the space station, the coolant system explodes and exposes the team to the nano laser’s matrix. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny escape on the shuttle, believing Victor to be dead. However, he falls into the nanochamber before the space station burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Phoenix crashes down in upstate New York, and the team is placed in quarantine by OTI. After being discharged with no apparent side effects, Johnny goes skiing and discovers his abilities after bursting into flames. Reed awakens to find his limbs are stretched at odd angles, and Sue discovers she can become invisible and create blasts of energy. Ben returns home to Yancy Street, oblivious to the craggy orange blotches forming on his back. When a containment crew arrives to retrieve him, he goes berserk and completes his transformation into the Thing.
Placed back in quarantine, the four continue to discover their abilities. Reed is fascinated that he is able to stretch without damaging his circular, muscular and skeletal structures, Sue gains confidence in creating force blasts, and Johnny realizes his ability to “flame on” has its limits. Ben is despondent over his condition and begins to lose hope of ever recovering. Angering Reed, the government has publically declared the four to be dead, issuing a cover story of death by “cosmic rays.”
A terrorist group called the Enclave are planning to detonate a bomb in a half-finished skyscraper during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. Upon learning of the plot, Reed convinces the others to break out of containment and stop the bombing. Together, they escape custody and battle the terrorists, making their public debut as heroes. After stopping the bomb, the team is released by the government and dubbed “the Fantastic Four” by the media. Reed purchases the top four floors of the skyscraper as their new headquarters.
Overnight, the Fantastic Four goes from being outcasts to national celebrities. Johnny appears on talk shows such as the Late Show with David Letterman and hosts Saturday Night Live. The team also incorporate themselves as a business entity. In one amusing Entertainment Tonight scene, they negotiate a deal for a new comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, both whom are featured in a cameo appearance. The scene is a poignant one, considering Kirby had passed away two years prior, in 1994.
Meanwhile, it is revealed that Victor survived the disaster and has become Dr. Doom, the monarch of Latveria. From his reintroduction on page 92, he is shown to be an ever-vigilant sovereign of the country and ruthless to any dissenters. His armor is described as “streamlined, with endless alien features”- with an H.R. Giger influence. In one chilling scene, Doom has his Doombots exterminate a young man who urges the citizens to stand up to their ruler. When American fighter jets fly over Latveria, he uses his nanotechnology to shoots them out of the sky.
Haunted over the accident, Reed is determined to cure Ben of his condition. During this time, Ben befriends Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress who is attracted to his kind, gentle side. Things change when Doom arrives at the United Nations Headquarters in a blimp-type transport with a legion of Doombots in tow. He demands the world leaders surrender to his control or else face the consequences, destroying the United Nations building to prove his point. Watching the newscast, Reed comes to the discovery that Doom is Victor. From here, the Fantastic Four fly to Latveria to stop Doom’s master plans for the sake of the world.
The script has several action set pieces that capture the “fantastic” essence of the characters. Reed is shown stretching his body to large proportions, all the while dealing with the pain of pushing himself too far. As she develops her force shield powers, Sue holds her own as a hero, and she is not afraid to use them. Ben displays great strength in the fight sequences. Johnny gets to demonstrate his powers, such as stopping a missile.
Ben Grimm’s character arc is one of the best parts of the story. France slightly deviates from the comics by removing Ben’s long-standing friendship with Reed and replaces it with a tension between employer and employee. In a tender scene with Alicia, he is stunned by her kindness as they tour her art gallery. Despite being blind, Alicia can sense the gentleness in Ben, who desperately wants to feel normal again, but the moment ends when she realizes who he is.
Doom’s megalomania and regal character makes their way into the script. His entrance and speech at the United Nations is one of the highlights. Although arrogant and fanatical, he genuinely believes he can bring an end to world hunger, poverty and global conflict. France's take on Doom closely adheres to the comics counterpart, except for his being a Russian astronaut.
Overall, this script is probably the best adaptation of the Fantastic Four. It is unfortunate that France’s screenplay was tabled due to budgetary costs. However, certain aspects- Doom’s role in the spaceflight, Ben having to choose between being human or the Thing, the media aspects- made it into the 2005 film. One can only imagine what this version would have turned out.