Jamie Bell and Kate Mara have made it no secret that they're not fans of their own “Fantastic Four” movie, but that doesn't mean they're not looking forward to the upcoming remake.
“We’re excited,” Mara, who played Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman in Fox’s 2015 comic book adaptation, in which Bell played Ben Grimm/The Thing, told me at the Giorgio Armani pop-up at Little Malibu Beach House in Soho House on Tuesday. “It’s an amazing cast.”
The new film, the first to be produced under the Marvel banner, stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The cast also includes Ralph Ineson, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Julia Garner.
Bell joked that the film shouldn't be called a remake of their movie. “It doesn't feel like a remake to me, because to remake something, it had to be something. Unfortunately, our film doesn't fit into any particular category.”
But he quickly added: “He's in a certain group, which is not a good group at all.”
The 2015 film, which also starred Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan and was directed by Josh Trank, was released to high expectations and wild celebrations, but was a critical and box office flop.
I asked Mara and Belle if there was a chance they would appear in the new installment. They nodded quickly and laughed. “Maybe we try to go through a multiverse door,” Belle said with a smile. “But when they see us, they close the door quickly.”
The new installment, directed by Matt Shakman, is set in 1960s New York City. Filming begins later this year and is scheduled for release on July 25, 2025.
Meanwhile, Bale has said he still hopes to make his own Fred & Ginger movie with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The film, which was first announced in December 2020 and will star Bale and Margaret Qualley in the lead roles, will chronicle the couple's lives on and off screen.
“We have some great people in some great jobs, it's just about finding windows and scheduling,” Bill said.
Bell says he's not nervous about tap dancing because he studied the style in dance school. “Ballroom dancing is going to be hard because it's so specific, and I've never learned that before,” he says.
For Bill, his fascination with Esther was his quest for “perfection.” “What makes his life interesting? It’s always about striving for something perfect. And how hard is that? He’s not alone, is he? He has to dance with a partner. How complicated is that? Everyone would ask him, ‘Who was your favorite dance partner?’ His partnership with Ginger was definitely the most successful, but how messy was that?”
“We love this project. We're very excited to do it and I think we're going to succeed,” said Max Minghella, one of the producers of “Fred and Ginger,” who also attended the Armani party.
Another Astaire film, about his relationship with his sister Adele, has been announced for 2021 with Tom Holland joining the cast.
See more photos from the Armani party below.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas.
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Katharine McPhee and Elsa Collins.
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Chase Stokes, Christopher Briney, and Lili Reinhart.
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Liv Golding and Henry Golding.
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Edgar Ramirez.
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Scott Speedman and Max Minghella.
Gilbert Flores for WWD
