Josh Trank Says Filming Fantastic Four Reshoots Was "Like Being Castrated"

There are quite a lot of fans who view the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot as one of the worst comic book movies of all time. The story of how director Josh Trank lost control of Fantastic Four is now as infamous as the shoddy costuming the studio used for reshoots. It was an excruciating experience for movie viewers and Marvel fans; for the cast of up-and-coming talents (Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan); and now Josh Trank is sharing an account of just how excruciating it was for him, too. And he isn't mincing words about it!

Speaking to Polygon, Josh Trank recounted what it was like being on the set of Fantastic Four, after Fox decided to step in for the reshoots. According to the filmmaker:

"It was like being castrated... You're standing there, and you're basically watching producers blocking out scenes, five minutes ahead of when you get there, having [editors hired] by the studio deciding the sequence of shots that are going to construct whatever is going on, and what it is that they need. And then, because they know you're being nice, they'll sort of be nice to you by saying, 'Well, does that sound good?' You can say yes or no."

Needless to say, the experience with making Fantastic Four and watching it go down in flames broke Trank somewhat. The director dropped other big blockbuster work (his famous breakup with Star Wars) and hasn't really been seen since then. Stories of his mental state and Hollywood exile have floated, but as unlikely as it seems, the wunderkid that made Chronicle a cult-classic is once again making headlines!

Recently the trailer dropped for Venom star Tom Hardy's new mobster biopic Capone. The film examines the end of mobster Al Capone's life, when he was sent home from prison due to increasing dementia as a result of syphilis. The film is a visually-captivating and intriguing mix of historical drama and surrealist visions of Capone's bloody, violent, delusions and hallucinations; Capone was already generating hype on social media before anyone read the fine print close enough to realize that Josh Trank was its director!

Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic has made it hard for any 2020 movies to stick to their planned release dates. Capone has rolled out a digital release plan you can check out HERE. Meanwhile, the Marvel fanbase is eagerly waiting to see who will be cast as the new Fantastic Four, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise reboot.

With theatres closed, Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment have teamed up to release Capone as a home premiere VOD release on May 12th, with an on-demand 48-hour rental. The distributor is still hoping for a theatrical release later in the summer as things return to normal.