Kate Mara Apparently Confirms FANTASTIC FOUR Reboot Not True To Source Material

I’ve devoted a lot of the server space FBOL takes up to hand-wringing over how bad the Fantastic Four reboot was going to be. My main concern was the plot synopsis that appeared on a casting announcement that indicated that the reboot will be almost 100% different than the comic book it takes its name from. Josh Trank went to Twitter to deny that the synopsis was real, but Fox legal still sent out takedown notices to any film site that reported on the casting announcement’s plot blurb, including us.

However, part of me wanted to believe Trank that this was not true, that the powers that be would not be so arrogantly stupid to change what made the Fantastic Four the Fantastic Four. But an interview with Kate Mara by the Mexican edition of Esquire Magazine most likely put the last nail in the coffin of that hope.

Wedged in between pictures of Mara lounging in vintage underwear, the magazine managed to ask Mara about her up coming role in the reboot, specifically dealing with the comics themselves. ComicBookMovie is there to translate:

Q: Do you like comics?

A: I’ve never been a fan of comics, I’ve never actually read one. I was going to for this movie but the director said it wasn’t necessary. Well, actually he told us that we shouldn’t do it because the plot won’t be based on any history of anything already published. So I chose to follow his instructions. The one fact is I am a fan of comic book movies, so it’s very exciting to be part of a movie like this.

Okay, the “looking-on-the-bright-side-of-things” Bill says that maybe this was just an error in translation. Or it could be willful misdirection. Or maybe Mara meant that the film will not be based on any particular story arc from the comics but that the origin will remain…will…ah, who am I trying to kid. The casting plot synopsis was right. Get ready for a loosely-affiliated band of super-powered government mercenaries as your reboot FF. I’m sure it will be kewl.

This of course begs the question of when does a FF film not become an FF film? And why didn’t they just create an original film around the concept instead of  just tacking the FF name on to something that bares little resemblance to the source material? Is the name that much of a draw? If so, why not pay more respect to it?

The trainwreck is set to hit theaters on June 19, 2015. Maybe we’ll find out how many puppies they’ve sacrificed to the Dark Gods next week at San Diego Comic Con.