From 2001 to 2003, Peter Acksexon's "Lord of the Rings" films dominated the pop culture landscape. Acksexon celebrated all three films at the same time, and all were released within a year, inspired experts and critics to rethink the way long -lasting film franchises are made. In previous times, studios usually did not plan more sequels at the same time, instead of waiting for a movie to make their money before talking about the next one. However, between the films "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter", the conversation changed in the 2000s. Since then, the multiple film series could be massive. This, in turn, led directly to the Marvel Film Universe, etc.

Since his "rings" on the "rings" were so revolutionary, Acksexon was given Carte Blanche to do everything he wanted as his follow -up project. Maybe weird, he chose to rewrite Marien F.'s classic. Cooper and Ernest B. Shoedsak of 1933 "King Kong", a movie that greatly inspired Acksecson as a child. Acksexon's "King Kong", which came out in 2005, was not a great movie, but it was a kind of gesture; Acksecson seemed to have an explosion.

He was not the only one who wanted to surf the role of the "rings" popularity. John Astin, who played by Hobbit Samsius Gamgi in the Rings films, knew that iron was hot and thought it was time to hit. Director housing ambitions, Astin felt that 2003 is the ideal time to start breaking his high -profile project, a big budget pop movie. Even at that time, Astin had already intuited that superheroes would be the next big thing. Specifically, he knew that a fantastic four deserved his film and wanted to direct it.

Astin's story is long and detailed. Speaking of the comic strip to Las Vegas in 2019 (through Colider), he explained that "the campaign to get the job is what was incredible." He noted that there were already many scenarios for the film "Fantastic Four" circulating around Hollywood at the time, the most famous of which was attached by Christopher Columbos. Columbos, on the early 2000s, also used the first two Harry Potter films. Hence, Astin said that he, quite painstaking, found the variety of "fantastic four" scripts to investigate the ways the project is developing.

On top of that, Astin has already known Columbus since He wrote the script for "Guoni", In which Astin gloriously acted as a child. As such, he follows the director down, and they had a few words about Austin's "Fantastic Four" ambitions. As Astin recalls:

"I went and found all those scenarios. I remember calling Chris Columbos (...) and because he wrote the" guonies ", he called him. And I said "I really want to direct this." Not knowing that he was scheduled to direct him for a certain period of time and that he shakes him. He said: "I don't think so," because the version I would like to make will cost $ 200 million. "

Telling Columbus that the version he painted would cost only about $ 30 million, Astin then asked him if he could have the script, so the first he handed over. Once it was safe, Astin traveled around the world, checking various houses for special effects, as he knew that a "fantastic four" would require state -of -the -art technology, and he wanted to be savvy. As a result, he rejoiced by talking to artists in Lucasfilm and, naturally, at the WēTā workshop, which previously worked on the films "Lord of the Rings" of Acksexon.

At this point in the story, Astin admitted that, Ah, he actually knew nothing about a fantastic four. Or, more precisely, he was aware that he was a hot property of comics, but he was not a fan. Indeed, part of his development process, he admitted, withdrew money and buying all the "fantastic four" comics he could, with the intention of reading them all. The plan, as he said, was to give a expensive accident in Marvel Lore. In his own words:

"I jumped in a cabin and went to the comics in Midtown. I called comics in Midtown and I am like ... I didn't know anything about it. I wouldn't know anything from the fantastic four. If the characters were going before me, I wouldn't know who they were. I just knew" this is America. " "

The effort, Astin was facilitated to find him, did not seek to buy any expensive, rare first edition comics. He also remembered that he tried to meet with, yes, Christina Aguilera, who thought he would be a good tourist storm. The meeting never happened, but she really got a call. This was 2003, shortly after her release of her album "Deprived", so she was very much in the public. The conversation seems to have been a non-beginner.

Unfortunately, the larger project collapsed. Astin was passionate, but the fact that he had never directed a post before making the directors of the Skitish studio, and he was not engaged. However, Austin's idea to throw Michael Cicklis as something, the role he will eventually play in Tim Stot's fantastic four film "Fantastic Four" in 2005. Astin also talked to Cameron Diaz about playing Sue Storm, but she refused, unwilling to wear makeup for a superhero. He didn't have to direct the film, but Astin may have been a major factor Bringing the fantastic four to the big screen.