Fantastic Four Would Work Better On TV

Expect a lot of finger-pointing in the wake of what’s certain to be one of the low points in modern super hero movie history. Fantastic Four was supposed to resurrect a venerable brand, but the reboot has done the exact opposite instead, tarnishing Marvel’s original super team so badly when it comes to movies that one wonders if Fox might not just throw up its hands and let the rights lapse a few years down the road.

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Was it the fault of director Josh Trank, a neophyte when it came to making big budget flicks within the studio system, for his reportedly difficult and distant on-set behavior? Or is Fox more responsible (as Trank himself insinuated in a quickly deleted tweet) for having other people jump in with re-writes and edits, making for a “too many cooks” situation?

A lot of people are going to wonder “What it All Means” for both the franchise and super hero films in general. Some of those think pieces will be guilty of too much analysis and generalization, as if the failure of this particular movie somehow has extra significance beyond just putting egg on the faces of those associated with it and making some folks at Marvel secretly cackle in glee.

(Not all, mind you, because there are folks at Marvel who have to know this kind of bomb is bad for the IP in general. But some will certainly take some pride in Fox’s stumbles.)

They might yet turn out to be correct, but I think there’s something else in play here that needs to be discussed in more detail: the Fantastic Four is a difficult group to adapt for film, but would be a much better fit for an adventurous network as a television series.

Don’t believe me? I’ve got my reasons. Three big ones, in fact.

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