# Fantastic 4 Cast News -- Chiklis=Ben Grimm **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277 "2004-07-09T13:09:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/21 "2004-07-14T00:25:09Z")
Chiklis is a great choice. He’s already got a Thing like form, so he’d be believable even with orange latex “bricks” instead of CGI (kind of like a Mystique from the X-Men movie SFX approach). Don’t really know the other guys mentioned. I could see Sarah Wynter as Sue. She’s a bit old compared to the rest of the cast to be doing original comic ages (which they likely won’t do anyway), but she’s definitely got the classic look that would be believable as someone who is from a well-to-do background and into theatre but still the girl next door. If you follow the link above to her IMDB photos, be sure to check out the pics from the TV shows she’s been in, namely 24, or her casual dress and not with her hair pulled back tight for the red carpet. But as far as movie prospects go, I think this one will be even harder to pull off than some of the others. I was shocked at how well Spiderman and the X-Men went, but those comics have real human themes to tie into and were grounded in realism (other than the superpowers thing). Fantastic Four always was a little, well, cartoonish, largely because of Mister Fantastic made of plastic. I mean, come on, how on earth can a movie handle that without calling him Mister Ridiculous. Best they could do there is make it a power he can’t hardly use ever for anything and just focus on his scientist role. Heck, make him stay on the ground running the rocket launch from there (if they even keep that bit) so he doesn’t get juiced up by the cosmic rays. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/22 "2004-07-14T00:58:00Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I was also hoping that William H. Macy would play Mr. Fantastic but oh well, Hmphf. Macy will always be \*\*[The Shoveller\*\*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132347/)! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/23 "2004-07-14T04:04:18Z")
> [@Dan Norder](#): > > Chiklis is a great choice. He’s already got a Thing like form, so he’d be believable even with orange latex “bricks” instead of CGI (kind of like a Mystique from the X-Men movie SFX approach). Except that he’s 5’9" while the Thing is, what, 7 or 8 feet? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/24 "2004-07-14T04:26:53Z")
One thing on Reed’s age in the movie v. the comic. While it would generally be better for the movie to follow the comic, keep in mind that the older you make any male character in a superhero movie, the higher the odds of Sean Connery wanting to play him. With this in mind, I would have absolutely no problem with Reed being played by the kid from _Harry Potter_. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/25 "2004-07-14T07:48:31Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Except that he’s 5’9" while the Thing is, what, 7 or 8 feet? Officially, the Thing is 6’, 500 lbs. He’s often drawn larger than that, and the weight seems quite low for a being his size covered with a rock exoskeleton, but Chiklis seems fairly close. The Ultimate Thing is a full head taller than Reed, appearing to be about 7’, and has been described as weighing half a ton. But I don’t think they’ll go the rubber suit route for this version. I suspect that once the transformation takes place, we’ll be seeing a cgi Thing, which makes Chiklis’ height irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/26 "2004-07-14T11:42:52Z")
According to the Hollywood Reporter, ([cite](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000576307)) Alba is in. I think she is hot, not a very good actress (tho she improved quite a bit during the Dark Angel run IMHO), and not right for Sue Storm. I like the commish, and think he makes a decent Ben Grimm (age aside) Brian (what’s the point of being hot if you spend part of the movie _invisible_ ? ) oh, and **Miller** : LOL! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/27 "2004-07-14T12:43:50Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > How can there exist a human on planet Earth that believes Jessica Alba is anything other than drenched in dripping hot sex? Um, tastes differ? I don’t find her attractive. Not that her form isn’t pleasing, but her face is odd-looking. Plus, having seen her in Daredevil, in which she was miscast, badly written and poorly costumed, I was put off. And you must concede, I think, that even if she is hot (for you), she’s wrong wrong wrong to play Sue Storm. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/28 "2004-07-14T14:17:45Z")
Are you thinking Jennifer Garner?\* (who played Elektra?) Because Alba was not in Daredevil. Brian \*Who is also hot and wrong for Sue Storm (IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/29 "2004-07-14T17:28:45Z")
So what you all are telling me, the Ultimates have changed the character relationships beyond all recognition, and the movie will be based on those. Writing off all the Boomers who grew up with the originals. Good move. The Hollywood Reporter article also says that the movie will be directed by Tim Story, best known for Barbershop, and newcomer Simon Kinberg, who is credited with XXX:III. And IMDb says: “Worked on numerous production rewrites, including Charlies Angels II: Full Throttle, Catwoman, Fantastic Four and Elektra.” As for [Doom](http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=17956): > [@](#): > > Now… as Dr. Doom… I’m hearing that Ray Liotta has landed the role, that most of us will like least. Not that Liotta couldn’t play the hell out of Dr. Doom… it’s just that the character is a faint shadow of the emerald cloaked tin can. Key issues that I have with the draft I read, which has continued to be worked on, is that… by losing the Foreign Head of State nature of Dr. Doom… you lose a degree of majesty, the exotic feeling of the character, and the worse case scenario of a petty dictator with weapons of mass obliteration and the personal power of a God. Instead, he’s been reduced to a jilted vain lover with a lot of money and a freak. Having said that… I’m sure Liotta, if indeed he has signed as I’ve heard, is more than capable to raise the material above where it is now. So far, so bad. So very, very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/30 "2004-07-14T20:36:58Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Except that he’s 5’9" while the Thing is, what, 7 or 8 feet? Ah, now we know where the movie version of Wolverine got all that extra height! He stole it from the movie version of Ben Grimm! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/31 "2004-07-14T21:26:16Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > According to the Hollywood Reporter, ([cite](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000576307)) Alba is in. > [@](#): > > The Hollywood Reporter article also says that the movie will be directed by Tim Story, best known for Barbershop, and newcomer Simon Kinberg, who is credited with XXX:III. > [@](#): > > Now… as Dr. Doom… I’m hearing that Ray Liotta has landed the role, that most of us will like least. Not that Liotta couldn’t play the hell out of Dr. Doom… it’s just that the character is a faint shadow of the emerald cloaked tin can. Key issues that I have with the draft I read, which has continued to be worked on, is that… by losing the Foreign Head of State nature of Dr. Doom… you lose a degree of majesty, the exotic feeling of the character, and the worse case scenario of a petty dictator with weapons of mass obliteration and the personal power of a God. Instead, he’s been reduced to a jilted vain lover with a lot of money and a freak. Well, this movie is going to suck. If it accomplishes anything it will be to grab the knife that _Catwoman_ is about to stab into the heart of the comicbook movie industry and give it a few good twists, making sure it’s nice and dead. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/32 "2004-07-14T22:08:02Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > Um, tastes differ? I don’t find her attractive. Not that her form isn’t pleasing, but her face is odd-looking. Hey, no problem, I’m just amazed that anyone would think so. IMO when a woman reaches a certain level of obvious attractiveness that she has, everyone can agree that they’re hot. Guess not. Can you give me a name of someone whose face you would not consider odd-looking? > [@](#): > > Plus, having seen her in Daredevil, in which she was miscast, badly written and poorly costumed, I was put off. Wait - are you talking about [Jennifer Garner](http://www.dearsally.org/alias/images/articles/020803_garner_tvguide02.jpg) and not Jessica Alba? > [@](#): > > And you must concede, I think, that even if she is hot (for you), she’s wrong wrong wrong to play Sue Storm. I can certainly concede that, I think both Jessica Alba and Jennifer Garner would be wrong for the part. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277/33 "2004-07-14T23:32:56Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Are you thinking Jennifer Garner?\* (who played Elektra?) Because Alba was not in Daredevil. :smack: Yes, I was. Although I guess I was not _thinking_ per se. Argh. Jennifer Garner is the one I was picturing. Ms. Alba is indeed hot. :smack: :smack: :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantastic-4-cast-news-chiklis-ben-grimm/254277.md?page=1)