Strange Directions, pt 1
Two truly bizzare directorial announcements over the last two days, both of varying degrees of interest to the Geek Community:
First up, Marvel Pictures' Avi Arad officially announced that, after rumors had flown for years about everyone from James Cameron to Steven Soderberg to Sean Astin bucking for the job, they've finally chosen a director for the film adaptation of "The Fantastic Four." The lucky winner is none other than Tim Story:
http://www.superherohype.com/fantasticfour/index.php?id=1152
Yes, THE Tim Story.
Kidding, of course. We're all to be forgiven if we don't know who Tim Story is. He's a newcomer, currently "best" known for directing the two "Barbershop" flicks. He was also holding the wheel on the as-of-yet-unreleased "Taxi," a Queen Latifah action vehicle remade from a sequel-spawning Luc Besson flick that never bothered to premier in the U.S.
This, of course, makes completely perfect sense. I mean, I dunno about you, but when I hear the words "multi-million dollar action epic/summer tentpole based on a franchise that's been internationally-famous for over 40 years," the FIRST thing that jumps into my mind is "better hurry up and sign the director of Barbershop!"
I kid. It'd certainly be unfair at this point to take shots at Story, especially considering that the same elements that make him seem like such a "huh!?" choice (like, say, the complete lack of anything in his resume that even suggest a remote connection to the genre) also make him NOT an automatically bad one: This is, without question, MUCH better than learning that Paul W.S. Anderson or Ewe Boll had been tapped for the job.
Speaking as both a Comic Geek AND Movie Geek, I see approximately TWO things for fans of both stripes to be concerned with here with regards to Story. Firstly, he's so-far cut his chops exclusively as a director of comedy. For those who've followed the developments of the "FF Movie" for any length of time, the constant "dark cloud" hanging over the project was Avi Arad's insistance that the "best direction" for it was to become more "situation comedy" than serious pulp scifi. (For non-fans, "The Fantastic Four" superheroes are also an extended family comprised of the Mr. Fantastic, his wife Invisible Girl, her brother Human Torch and family-friend The Thing.) The hiring of a comedy director sends up more than a few red flags that the "sitcom" concept is alive and well.
Secondly, Story's "newness" also means he likely brings with him very little "leverage" versus the HUGELY powerful studio and corporate interests invested in the movie: He could well turn out to be a visionary with the perfect concept for an arse-kicking Fantastic Four flick for the ages, but Socratic logic dictates that when the studio interests start demanding coolness-killing studio-isms like "more merchandisable gadgets," a "score" of Total Request Live pop anthems and innapropriately-cast "name stars" in the lead roles, he may not have the clout to stop such nonsense even if he wanted to.
Best of luck, of course, to Mr. Story: NOTHING would be more cool than for a "brand new face" to emerge as a major talent by making a powerful epic out of this franchise. BUT, until we start seeing more details this is on my "WORRIED" list for sure.
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