Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara have confirmed that they are set to star in the Fantastic Four reboot as Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Sue Storm (Invisible Girl), while rumors spread that Jamie Bell and Miles Teller will also star.

Michael B. Jordan And Kate Mara Confirmed

Josh Trank will direct the reboot, which would take place completely separately from the two previous Fantastic Four films. Trank recently made a splash in Hollywood with his film Chronicle. Chronicle was also a superhero film and also stared Jordan in a principal role. The movie was made on an incredibly low budget and blew critics away with it’s innovative use of camera tricks and lack of CGI effects. Chronicle certainly provided a different kind of superhero movie, setting itself apart from bigger Marvel franchises like Thor and Iron Man. Trank, a writer-director, will also act as a co-writer on the film.

While Jordan (Fruitvale Station) and Mara (House of Cards) are the only two actors confirmed for the film, rumors are swirling that actors Teller (Whiplash, Divergent) and Bell (The Adventures of Tintin, Nymphomaniac) are in the process of hammering out their contracts to star in the film. Teller is rumored to be playing Reid Richards (Mr. Fantastic) while Bell would play Ben Grimm (The Thing) with the help of motion capture technology.

Both Mara and Jordan took to social media to express their excitement and confirm their casting. Mara tweeted that she was “feeling invisible in a wonderful way” and Jordan shared a photo on Instagram of the Fantastic Four seal with the caption, “FLAME ON!” – the Human Torch’s catch phrase.

Casting Causes Confusion Among Fans

Of course the casting of such iconic characters has caused its fair share of controversy, with many critics wondering how the original comic book world will be altered to allow for an African American man (Jordan) and a Caucasian woman (Mara) to be siblings. Another cause of contention is the age of the cast. The oldest member of the cast, Mara, is barely 31 years old and Teller, the youngest, just celebrated his 27th birthday. In contrast, Ion Gruffudd, who played the role of Reed Richards in the 2005 Fantastic Four film, was 32 at the time.

Furthermore, most of the actors in the 2005 film were not still playing teenagers or young adults at the time. Teller and Jordan recently stared in That Awkward Moment as twenty-somethings, though their ages were never specified, and last year Teller stared as an 18-year-old high school senior in The Spectacular Now. Mr. Fantastic is, traditionally, the leader of the group of superheroes, and making the character the youngest of the group could shake up the dynamic in ways fans aren’t ready for.

Regardless of whether or not one is a fan of the casting, one thing is certain: the film will be extremely different from the 2005 incarnation. Rumors of the plot have been swirling for months, though nothing has been confirmed by the filmmakers. Fans speculate that, instead of re-telling the origin story found in the 2005 film (that the Fantastic Four were astronauts exposed to radiation that gave them super powers), the film will be based off the origin story detailed in “Ultimate Fantastic Four."

The Fantastic Four reboot is scheduled to hit theaters June 19, 2015.

Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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