Kate Mara Reveals The One Good Thing To Come Out Of "Messy Experience" Making 2015's FANTASTIC FOUR

Kate Mara Reveals The One Good Thing To Come Out Of "Messy Experience" Making 2015's FANTASTIC FOUR

2015's Fantastic Four was a disaster, but Invisible Woman actor Kate Mara has shared the one good thing to come out of the "messy experience" that saw her "trauma [bond]" with now-husband, Jamie Bell.

By JoshWilding - Sep 09, 2025 08:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

Following the release of 2012's Chronicle, Josh Trank became one of Hollywood's most sought-after filmmakers. The news that he would reboot the Fantastic Four franchise was met with excitement from fans, but studio interference—and Simon Kinberg's input—doomed the movie. 

When all was said and done, Fantastic Four grossed a mere $167.9 million at the worldwide box office in 2015, with Trank disowning the studio-mandated cut days before it arrived in theaters. Boasting a 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains one of the worst-reviewed comic book movies ever. 

Over the years, stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, and Toby Kebbell haven't shied away from sharing their disdain for the 20th Century Fox-produced Marvel Comics adaptation.

We may never know the full story of what happened on set, but Mara, who played the Invisible Woman, has one positive takeaway from the "messy" experience. 

"[Jamie Bell and I] were friends, but not; we didn’t really know each other," she recalled. "And then we made the Fantastic Four movie together, which was a really interesting experience. How rough, not a great experience."

"It was a mess. Yeah, just a messy experience, but we got to know each other on it, and I thought, oh, he’s so great. I just thought he was the best, and he was single," Mara continued. "I thought, 'God, I’ve set him up with someone. He’s the biggest catch. How is he not with someone amazing? I just didn’t know that I was the person I was looking for. It took me a year to figure that out."

"I think we were, because we were friends for so long that we were both just in our minds, like this is the relationship. And then, yeah, we fell in love on the press tour of that movie. Because it was trauma bonding," she said of their experience shooting Fantastic Four. "We just thought, 'Oh this is gonna be forever. Wonderful.' And here we are, a bunch of kids later, and yeah, it’s the best."

Mara and Bell got married in 2017, two years after Fantastic Four was released in theaters. They now have two children together, and neither actor has returned to the comic book movie realm after what they went through a decade ago. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released by Marvel Studios in July and has grossed over $510 million at the worldwide box office. The movie was met with positive reviews from fans and critics, and next December's Avengers: Doomsday will see the MCU First Family once again put front and centre.

You can hear more from Mara in the player below. 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Concept Art Reveals Animated Versions Of Marvel's First Family
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MR
MR - 9/9/2025, 8:51 AM
This website is just a dumping ground for unnecessary information. It’s such a lazy place. It could be so much better but they just wanna be in the swamp.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/9/2025, 8:55 AM
@MR - You must be new here.

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It's 2025 and this is the internet. It's best to keep your expectations low.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 9/9/2025, 9:06 AM
@MR - User generated site, if you feel you can write better articles give it a shot as others have :D
AllsGood
AllsGood - 9/9/2025, 9:24 AM
@MR - User Created Site. I can't wait to see what you Post.

We will be waiting.
MR
MR - 9/9/2025, 9:55 AM
@Feralwookiee - thanks for the assumption. I’m not new to the website but new to posting. What I have seen over the fifteen to twenty years I’ve been coming here is any old tosh is now eligible for posting. The writers on this website are just plain old lazy and make you click on their pointless “articles” for the Google $$ clicks.
As I said, this place could be so much more than a dumping ground for rehashed stories.
MR
MR - 9/9/2025, 9:57 AM
@AllsGood - unlike some, I don’t sit around all day dreaming up pointless articles about nothing. I have things to do.
RedFury
RedFury - 9/9/2025, 10:43 AM
@MR - I really do wish there was a better standard put in place that all articles must adhere too. It would create a better semblance to the things posted, and would avoid a lot of the hate in the comments. I do understand that the commenters are a small drop of the people who visit the site, so the things we say can't assuredly be taken as the opinion of the majority.

I truly think that if the standards were held to a higher degree, this site could become even more popular than it is, and become more of a staple for the type of community we engage with.

Some simple suggestions from me would be:
- stop inserting opinions into news and leave it for the comments
- lower the amount of gossip news that has nothing to do with films outside of actors having been in a comicbook movie/sci-fi/fantasy flick
- use images of actors when it comes to articles about casting info rather than just names
- enough with the culture click-bait articles that absolutely ensure people to be nasty toward eachother in the comments (which goes both ways) afterall this is a nerd haven; it shouldn't be political.
- no more articles that rehash the information about what an article posted the same day, or day before.

Things I enjoy about the site:
- when rumour articles are stacked into one rather than an article for each. I've been a big fan of the rumour roundups, they're succinct, and are far more engaging because they have way less fluff in them.
-Some might disagree but I do like when Josh does his fan-casting and or possible avenues a story can go. They're very much opinion pieces, but I think they create a good jumping point for people to dream up and post about their own ideas, or run with his.
- the amount of content that gets posted (when it actually pertains to what the site is truly about).
-The comment section being patrolled and trolls being dealt with (sometimes rare but I'm happy to know there is care being taken here)

Middle ground changes I'd like to see:
- keep the rumour articles even though alot of them come from less than credible sources. I think the biggest trouble with these is that these articles should have a prominent THIS IS JUST A RUMOUR disclaimer slapped on them at the very beginning so that those less engaged with reading still understand that it's just a rumour and not fact. I know often times these articles do have it listed as a rumor in the title, but I still think it should be emphasized more to get the point across.
- I said it before but the opinions should be far less, and or absolutely removed from the article. I do appreciate the effort each poster puts in to make sure we keep getting content, but it would be alot better if they would just post their opinions in the comment section rather than in the write up. It'll dial down the anger of a lot of the people that come here I think.

Anyways.... That's my two-cents. I might be way off base but I think these things might help the site a lot.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/9/2025, 1:24 PM
@MR - My original post was mostly sarcastic of course, so I apologize for coming off douchey, but I don't totally disagree with you.

My point was, if you've been here for awhile, you know the drill. I wouldn't expect it to change any time soon. 😜
BlueSkies33
BlueSkies33 - 9/9/2025, 8:57 AM
Awww. you guys, it's a cute, happy romantic story. Hopefully the rest of your day is just as happy :D
TheVisionary27
TheVisionary27 - 9/9/2025, 9:02 AM
@BlueSkies33 - I’m having the worse day ever lol.
BlueSkies33
BlueSkies33 - 9/9/2025, 9:25 AM
@TheVisionary27 - Yikes! Hopefully this site is a good distraction anyway. Stay strong, CBM friend!
LenSpiderman
LenSpiderman - 9/9/2025, 10:51 AM
@TheVisionary27 - just remember… it can always be worse.
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/9/2025, 1:24 PM
@TheVisionary27 - hope it gets better
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/9/2025, 9:01 AM
I haven’t read the article and I can already tell that this one good thing was her meeting her husband Jamie Bell considering they met on the set of that film…

It was Ultimate Ben & Sue come to life!!.

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Anyway , Fant4stic was a dud but she and the others did as best they could with what they had so I hope that we do get her in a cbm again one day.
TheNewYorkerr
TheNewYorkerr - 9/9/2025, 9:07 AM
I don’t know to read anything other than the headline. I know the one thing was a paycheck.
UltimaRex
UltimaRex - 9/9/2025, 9:23 AM
So happy for them.

Now, let's never mention it again.

Paul is single again.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 9/9/2025, 10:21 AM
If they ever need a Ben Reilly or Kaine to Tom Holland's Peter Parker, Jamie Bell would be perfect casting
MrDandy
MrDandy - 9/9/2025, 10:57 AM
I would have thought the best thing would be her realizing she needed to fire her agent. I guess finding a husband is good too.
DianaGohan
DianaGohan - 9/9/2025, 11:28 AM
Isn't that what Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively said about the Green Lantern movie? That's where they met and started a relationship but yeah otherwise hated the shoot and knew the film itself wasn't very good? So I guess FF 2015 joins that camp. Which technically for awhile was also the 2003 Daredevil camp as yeah that's where Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner first got together and started a relationship... albeit that one didn't technically last but the two apparently are still sort of friends.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 9/9/2025, 1:06 PM
At least she admits it, unlike Ryan Reynolds who always shits on Green Lantern even though that movie is the reason why he's with Blake Lively and has a family.
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 9/9/2025, 1:33 PM
Pretty sure the paycheck was something good to come out of it...

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