Josh Trank Says What He Tried to Do With Fantastic Four Was “Arrogant” at That Time in His Career

Josh Trank directed his first feature at just 27 years old, a film that launched him into a stratosphere as Hollywood’s next big wunderkind. Just as the Marvel Cinematic Universe was finding its footing, Trank brought Chronicle onto the scene, a movie that ended up grossing over $125 million worldwide against a minuscule production budget of $12 million. On top of that, the superhero blockbuster ended up being a hit with critics, finishing up with a stellar 85-percent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Before long, the upcoming filmmaker got a massive break — 20th Century Fox hired to him to reboot its Fantastic Four franchise. While Disney and Marvel Studios was busy assembling the Avengers, Fox charged Trank to launch a universe for Fox, a universe that we now know never — and will never, for that matter — come to fruition. While doing press for Capone, Trank admits to The Hollywood Reporter his ambitions when it came to the Fantastic Four reboot — something widely panned by fans and critics alike — were arrogant and unwarranted.

“What I tried to do with Fantastic Four was so arrogant for somebody who hadn’t really gotten the handle of his own skill set as a filmmaker to do that kind of stuff with it,” Trank says. “I obviously loved what I was doing at the time and thought I was onto something, but when I take a look back, I’m able to, as a film man, remove myself and enjoy the works of James Gunn and Zack Snyder … Zack Snyder is a visual genius and clearly he has a very passionate fan base, so it’s not like it’s not spoken of enough, but I think he’s incredible.”

Earlier in the conversation, Trank admitted he felt bitter towards the filmmakers that got a stab at movies from Marvel Studios, movies that were both blockbusters yet something that resonated with the vast majority of movie-goers that watched them.

“I think it’s important to be honest with yourself and admit that,” Trank adds. “I know a lot of people who you can see it in their eyes that that’s how they feel — the way that I was feeling — but they would never say it. I think it’s important to say it because it allows you to advance and grow on your own personal path.”

He concludes, “Why I bring up James Gunn as an example of somebody I find to be very inspiring while he’s doing things that are totally different than where I’m going is that I aspire to someday end up in a place where I’ve found my own type of James Gunn home like he found and now has.”

Trank’s Fantastic Four is available wherever movies are sold.