[Movie News] Could the ‘Fantastic Four’ Work on Netflix?
This is a Guest contributed post from: Paul Tolbert
Last year’s reboot of the Fantastic Four was disastrous. The film essentially ended what movie producers hoped would be the next in line of great, and immensely popular, superhero movies.
The movie received only 9 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and lost money, grossing $168 million against a production and marketing budget north of $200 million. Talks of a sequel, once thought to be a lock, were put on hold as the movie struggled to connect with audiences and was overshadowed by other superhero properties, including those from Marvel. The Daily Dot has a good breakdown of why the movie struggled.
The failure leads to a major question: What is the future of the Fantastic Four when it comes to entertainment? The 2015 movie, of course, came after two other Fantastic Four movies (one released in 2005, the other in 2007) that managed better than last year’s film, but are seen more as afterthoughts by most fans. This is especially true as other superhero films have raised the expectations of what this genre of movies can be.
The answer may actually lie with another silver-screen disaster, Daredevil. Just as the 2006 film, which starred Ben Affleck, did marginally well at the box office, but never truly captured movie goers, the Fantastic Four seems to be in the same place. There is a hardcore legion of fans that love the characters, but they need to be put in the right place. For the Fantastic Four, that might be on television.
The Daredevil series rebooted on Netflix last year to great critical acclaim. The first season was regarded as a watershed moment in superhero entertainment and succeeded where the original movie failed, namely giving depth to Matt Murdock’s world. With a full run of episodes, there was time to give each character the opportunity to develop and explain their motivations.
One of the best episodes of the first season of Daredevil was “Shadows in the Glass” where the viewer learned about villain Wilson Fisk. The episode humanized Fisk, showing him not as just a power-hungry monster, but a human being with complex motivations. It was also incredibly well received by fans. The series was renewed for a second season and showed how franchises can be reborn in new ways.
The Fantastic Four could benefit in much the same way. The first thing to understand is that the Fantastic Four remains incredibly popular and is something that studios still believe in. Last year’s movie featured a nine-figure budget and major stars such as Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara. The team was also mentioned as a major plot device in the reboot of Arrested Development on Netflix a few years ago.
The family of superheroes continues to be highlighted in video games as well. The online gaming site Gala Casino is known for its robust offering of superhero-themed games. The site features major stars such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and, yes, the Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic and crew belong with other great characters, they just need a new place to develop.
With a television series, preferably on a streaming service like Netflix of Hulu, the Fantastic Four could get a grittier reboot and focus on the complex relationships of the four members, the villains they fight, the world they try to protect and living a life with unexpected superpowers. There is a fascinating world of possibilities that can be explored if someone would be willing to give it the chance it deserves.
This is a guest post by Paul Tolbert, a freelance writer out of Charlotte, NC. Having recently discovered Marvel’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones on Netflix, he has begun considering which other Marvel titles the streaming service might consider next.
