When Marvel fans threats forced 'Fantastic Four' director Josh Trank to sleep with a gun

Released in 2015, Fantastic Four was a reboot of the film franchise. It stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Toby Kebbell. The film based on Marvel comics superheroes was not well-received by the audience and tanked at the Box Office. Director Josh Trank reveals that he used to sleep with a gun due to threats from Marvel fans. Read to know more.

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Josh Trank was paranoid during FANT4STIC shoot

In an interview with a news portal, filmmaker Josh Trank talked about his film Fantastic Four. He cast Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm /Human Torch, a character who is white in the Marvel comic books. Trank said that for the world he grew up in, a racially intense Los Angeles where they were used to seeing white superheroes, some of his friends who were black should have seen a black superhero. So he felt that while being in a position of power, he could change the system a little bit.

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But Josh Trank decision of casting Jordan led to retaliation from Marvel comic book fans. He said that he was getting threats on IMDb message boards saying they were going to shoot him. The filmmaker recalled that he was paranoid during that shoot. If someone came into his house, he would have ended their life. He stated that when you are in a headspace where people want to get you, you think, ‘I’m going to defend myself.’ Trank added that he slept with a special .38 gun on his nightstand during production and returned the gun after the shoot wrapped.

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Josh Trank said that they began shooting the movie without a firm script and no end. He revealed that first cut of the film prompted 20th Century Fox to organise reshoots for which Trank was present on the set but just for namesake. He said he was basically standing and watching other editors hired by the studio blocking and editing scenes and deciding the sequence of the shots. He said he agreed to all changes as because he didn’t want to be fired.

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