Take a First Look at Jamie Bell’s ‘Fantastic Four’ Alter-Ego, The Thing

Empire has released the first photo of The Thing from Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot. This superhero alter-ego belongs to team member Ben Grimm, whom Jamie Bell (Jumper) is portraying. Grimm and The Thing are one part of the superhero team accidentally created by failed teleportation experiment. The rest of the team is comprised of Miles Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, and Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.

We previously reported on mxdwn Movies that Trank’s vision for the Marvel reboot was that of a “dark Amblin movie.” This refers to director Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, and Trank is likely attempting to call to mind a dark(er) Goonies or Super 8. Based on the image above, the new film does seem to literally and figuratively present a darker tone than the 2005 adaptation. The Thing’s general construction does however still bear some resemblance to previous interpretations.

Though Bell’s Thing appears a bit less cartoonish, less human, and a bit more “thing-ish,” the image appears to pay more homage to The Thing’s original comic book conception (shown above in the last photo) than Michael Chiklis’ 2005 human-like version (first two photos). One could possibly assume this means Trank’s version will in fact dive deeper into the darkness and tragedy of Fantastic Four‘s characters – as promised – beginning with a total transformation from Grimm’s human state.

Fox‘s Fantastic Four opens in theaters August 7, 2015. Check out the teaser here.

Rachel Lutack: Managing Editor|| Rachel has a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Southern California, working towards her MFA in Writing for the Screen and Television. When she's not writing, you can catch Rachel watching anything involving Brit Marling or Greta Gerwig.
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