20th Century Fox has taken an odd approach to officially unveiling the new Thing from theirFantastic Fourremake. And perhaps its because they’re not too proud of it? We got our first look courtesy of a leaked photo that exposed one of The Thing stand-in puppets being used on set. Next, The Thing appeared in a giant wall-sized movie poster spotted in the U.K. Now, U.K. publication Empire magazine has released the first studio sanctioned look at the rock monstrosity…And it’s not that impressive?
The story in this new take on the classic Marvel comic book centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. In the three new photos, we get to see how this teleportation ride has mutatedJamie Bell’s Ben Grimm into a giant pile of orange rocks. And it doesn’t look too much different from the Thing in the originalFantastic Fourreleased in 2005. We’ll even bet that some likeMichael Chiklis' version better, though it is dated 10 years.
Here, we also get to see our team as they travel to that alternate dimension in their space suits. Also joiningJamie Bellon this mission isMiles Teller, who transforms into Mister Fantastic. In the third photo we see him on a gurney post-mission, with his arms stretched a little further than humanly possible. The rest of the team is rounded out byKate Maraas Invisible Woman, andMichael B. Jordanas the hot headed Human Torch. Instead of wearing a rubber suit, as didChiklis,Jamie Bellperformed motion-capture to bring his Thing to life. About that, directorJosh Tranksays:
“Jamie in real life is a tough guy. He exudes this strength. Ben is Reed’s best friend in the archetypal, spiritual way, and you want that character to have that warmth and that strength.”
The big take away here is our official first look atJamie Bellas The Thing. It’s hard to completely judge the character without seeing him in action, or hearing his thick New York accent. But it’s a start. What do you think? Do you love it or hate it?
