Michael Chiklis played Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, in 2005's Fantastic Four and its sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, and even though the movies proved to be highly divisive (that's probably an understatement), the Emmy Award-winning The Shield star's performance was singled out as a major highlight.
During an interview with Screen Rant, Chiklis was asked for his thoughts on Marvel Studios' planned FF reboot, and the actor had some sound advice for how Kevin Feige and co. should approach their reinvention of Marvel's First Family and the Ever-Lovin, Blue-Eyed Thing.
"Go CGI if you can [laughs]. Wardrobe was something else, but it was still a pretty amazing experience. Just understand, the real tone and tenor of The Fantastic Four is as we did it. It's not meant to be dark and brooding. It's never going to be The Dark Knight. Don't try to make it that. Don't expect it to be that. The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing was from Brooklyn and he was a Dodgers fan. They were a sweet family and that's the way it's meant to be. It wasn't meant to be hardcore and dark and brooding. Try to make it that, you will fail."
Even if you thought Chiklis' movies were a bit too light-hearted, it's hard to argue with his rationale. The Fantastic Four have been through a fair amount of bleak stuff in the comics over the years, but by and large, "dark" wouldn't be the first word fans associate with this particular super-team. After all, 20th Century Fox went grittier for 2015's FANT4STIC, and we all know how that turned out.
There is a happy medium, of course, and we're confident Marvel Studios and director Jon Watts will find it.
What do you guys make of Chiklis' comments? Be sure to share your thoughts down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.