More FF Film Details from Comic-Con

More details about the Fantastic Four film are making it onto the Web thanks to a Comic-Con panel held last week.

Marvel Studios exec Avi Arad joined director Tim Story and actors Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards), Jessica Alba (Sue Storm) and Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm) to talk a bit about what fans can expect.

Here’s highlights:

• Costume design is done. And "these are VERY COOL designs that we think you'll all like...a cross between the early Kirby designs, and the new Ultimate books," according to Arad.
  
• The Thing will not be entirely CGI like Ang Lee’s Hulk, according to Story, adding that he "want his actors to constantly have to interact with props, he wants the heart of Chiklis' Ben Grimm to really show through the tough exterior of The Thing, and the only way to do that is to have Chiklis actually there as The Thing," according to a Superhero Hype source. Some action shots will be CGI, however.
  
• Chiklis added: "I can't wait for you guys to see what they've come up with for The Thing...it's so amazing...I wish you would see it right now!." He said that he’ll be in the makeup chair "many, many hours" and is practicing reading to his children with his 'Thing teeth' in his mouth to practice sounding out different words, according to the source.
  
• Dr. Doom will have a "sinister" look, harkening to the Silver Age comics.
  
• Gruffudd said, although he’s not a fan of the original FF books, he’s reading a lot of them now to get a feel for Mr. Fantastic; Alba and Chiklis have been doing the same.
  
• The Baxter Building set was described as "simply amazing" by both Arad and Story.
  
• Re: casting Dr. Doom -- Tim Story replied "you'll be hearing an announcement in about a week"...no hints as to who it is other than that "the fans will be pleased."
  
• The plot will be a mix of the classic FF and the Ultimate FF storylines: "Both are great books, the classic has so much heart and feeling to it, while the new Ultimate book gives the story a fresh new feeling, and brings it into today's setting," producer Ralph Winter said.
  
• Production is set to begin in the next few weeks over in Vancouver for a summer 2005 release date.