"Fantastic" News

Yeah, I know it's been awhile since my last post...I've been pretty busy animating some Aqua Teen stuff the last coupla-three weeks. But when I got a load of this latest news on the new FF movie (now officially titled Fanastic Four: The rise of the Silver Surfer) I had to take a few minutes out to geek about it. Below is a shot of Jessica Alba/Sue Storm presumably at her wedding (But to whom?).


Recent online news sources report new details on the project --which started filming last month-- such as the major addition to the cast of Homicide's Andre Braugher as General Hager (an old acquaintance of Reed Richards), who sets his sights on the Silvery Spaceman. More importantly (to me, at least) 20th Century Fox big-wig Tom Rothman confirmed at the beginning of the month that Jack Kirby's iconic planet-consuming Galactus will indeed appear in the film. (O' course you'd think that if the Surfer was in it Galactus would certainly be...but y'never know with Hollywood.)


According to WENN news source:
"Rothman promises that we'll not only see the million-years-old super being, but that it will be, well, fantastic: "I don't want to give too much away but I will say this: Galactus will appear and fans will not be disappointed."

Also uber-model Beau Garrett has been hired to play Frankie Raye, a John Byrne-era comic book character who had powers very much like the Human Torch and actually became Galactus' new Herald after the Surfer's betrayal and subsequent firing. This is the Torch's girlfriend? (right) As Ben Grimm might say "Heh, heh...Nice goin' Kid!"

Everything I read about this film sounds better than the first. More Kirby-gizmos, bigger scope (no crappy origin story)! On returning director Tim Story's own blog even he's totally geeking about seeing the FF car for the first time at the super-secret workshop where it's being fabricated. (The company who's building it also built a bunch of other movie vehicles including several Batmobiles)
Tim also says: "This car is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Not saying this because it's in my movie. (But there is obviously a bias) But it's cool. I mean this is like "the car from The Spy Who Loved Me" type of cool!"

Here's what got me typing though . The first shots of The Silver Surfer in action! From the looks of things I'd say they're doing some motion capture activity for CG. Since Doug Jones (who's been cast to portray The Surfer/ Norrin Radd) has said publically that he wasn't doing any motion capture stuff (yet?) it's doubtful that it's him in the green suit here.

The rig itself looks pretty impressive...


Kinda like seeing the X-men animated for the first time (Sat-morning in '84) --what it represents is bigger than what it is. (Most people on the street didn't know who the hell Woverine was back then --now even my mom (who is 84) knows who he is!)

The bottom line is this time next year we'll all know what the Silver Surfer and Galactus look like in a big budget Hollywood movie. (and they better not suck planet-size donkeys!)