Pre-MCU Actor Ioan Gruffudd Reflects On Playing Reed Richards, The End Of His ‘Fantastic Four’ Run Under Tim Story And Fox
The Fantastic Four became a bona-fide film franchise after the 2005 film starring Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Ioan Gruffudd. However, a third film never materialized after Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007, although ideas were thrown around.
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There were a few directions a trilogy could have gone, and everyone was ready to make that leap whatever form it took. “The mindset was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans,” Gruffudd revealed in Vulture.
The Welsh actor also recounted the blast he had working with the second film’s Surfer. “I particularly loved working with Doug Jones [who played the Silver Surfer] on that movie, who’s just a terrific artist and an expert in the field of movement. If you want to witness somebody bringing a character to life physically, he’s just untouchable,” he said.
“So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control,” Gruffudd continued. 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the FF and the X-Men films at the time, decided to pivot toward a full reboot after the writer strike of the late 2000s. The fruit of that labor wouldn’t be released until 2015, and we know how that worked out.
Neither Fox nor Disney asked Gruffudd to return, and he was deeply hurt by that. After spending a few years as Reed, it became a big part of his life and career.
“As an actor, you almost grieve every part that you’ve played, and this was no different. This was a massive stepping stone in my career, and because this was two movies over several years, the character becomes part of you. So I think the grieving process is that you’ve enjoyed the character so much and you’re not getting to play them again,” he recalled.
Chris Evans reprised Johnny Storm in Deadpool & Wolverine, which is probably the last we will ever see related to the mid-2000s incarnation of Marvel’s First Family. Had Evans, Gruffudd, and the crew gotten a third film, Tim Story would have returned to direct.
As much as he wanted to bring Skrulls or Black Panther to the screen, Story probably would’ve settled on developing the subplot between Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington) and Ben Grimm (Chiklis). Based on comments from Story and the cast in the wake of Rise of the Silver Surfer’s release, Alicia’s stepfather, The Puppetmaster, wouldn’t have been far behind.
Additionally, as detailed by YouTuber Hemmas Studios, neither would’ve been Reed and Sue’s tot son Franklin who made his first cinematic appearance in First Steps this summer.
