Fantastic Four was released in 2015 to negative reviews and dismal box office numbers. It's no secret that creative interference from 20th Century Fox and producer Simon Kinberg had an impact on director Josh Trank's vision, which actor Toby Kebbell alluded to during a recent interview with Forbes.
The actor played Doctor Doom in the reboot, but like the version played by Julian McMahon in the previous Fantastic Four movies, it was not a particularly good take on the villain. In fact, he was downright comical, and Kebbell admitted to being disappointed with the way things turned out.
"You know, I'll be entirely honest...I don't think we were a victim of timing, I think we were a victim of bad leadership and organization," the actor revealed. "I mean in charge, in charge, not people creating and working on set. So there were unfortunate things. In Hollywood, you can't ever speak ill and I'm not doing that, I'm just saying while I was there, there was a lot more that could have been done to make that a better thing. There's fans for it. I truly believe it."
"I truly believe Doom is an awesome villain, he's an excellent villain and they kind of always just do something goofy with it. It's a shame," Kebbell continued. "I honestly feel that way. I wouldn't have gone into it thinking, 'Ah, this is going to be another terrible movie.' I thought they had that."
"Why that effort wasn't put in, I don't know. But, yeah I know none of those people will call me back to work with them, so the truth as I see it is that more could have been done by the powers that be. So I hope, I truly hope, that someone does create a great version because I truly believe...I'm a big fan of Doom as a character. He's awesome. So, yeah. I hope they do it just right."
With so much speculation surrounding Trank, it's interesting how quick Kebbell is to point out that the problem was actually with those higher up the pecking order. This echoes what the filmmaker has said, and while we may never know what really happened on the set of Fantastic Four, it was a wasted opportunity. The cast was talented, and it was a different approach to Marvel's First Family that could have easily fit into the aesthetic of the Marvel Universe Fox had created at the time.
Now, Marvel Studios will reboot the Fantastic Four franchise with Spider-Man director Jon Watts.