Posted in: Movies | Tagged: 20th century fox, entertainment, fantastic four, film, josh trank, the thing

What Happened To The Thing Scene From The Fantastic Four Trailers?

** Potential Spoilers **

One of the big questions folks have had about the Fantastic Four has been what happened to the scene in the trailer where The Thing drops from an airplane. The scene was part of the original script that Josh Trank was working from. The idea being that just after the one-year-later jump we'd come back into an action scene as described below.

Chechen rebel camp in the wee hours of the night. There's no explanation for where we are, but there are soldiers speaking a foreign language, and they are loading up some heavy-duty weaponry.

Crews are filling truck beds with the gear, preparing to mobilize – then a siren goes off. Everyone freezes, and one by one they turn their faces to the sky. A stealth bomber whispers by overhead, and a large object falls from it, streaking through the air at great speed.

The object – a bomb, a missile? – collides with the earth in the center of the camp, sending debris is all directions. The soldiers take cover, then tentatively emerge and walk toward the crater, where there is a giant pile of orange boulders.

Slowly, the rocks begin to move on their own, becoming arms, legs, a torso, a head …
This rock-figure lumbers out of the smoke, and the soldiers level their weapons – then open fire.
As The Thing lurches into view, bullets spark and ping off his impenetrable exterior.

Rather than some elegant, balletic action sequence, The Thing moves slowly and deliberately. He's in no hurry. The storytelling goal was to show the futility of firepower against him as he casually demolishes the terrorists. It's a blue-collar kind of heroism.

When it becomes clear this rock-beast cannot be stopped, the surviving Chechen rebels make a run for it – and that's when a hail of gunfire finishes them off.

From the shadows of the surrounding forest, a team of Navy SEALS emerge with their guns drawn and smoking. The cavalry has arrived, but the enemy has already been subdued.

The film would then have shifted to a bird's-eye view of the camp, an aerial shot showing waves of American soldiers flooding in to secure the base. Just when it appears the American soldiers may be ready to clash with the rock monster, The Thing gives them a solemn nod, and they clear a path. He lumbers past them, almost sadly, a heartsick warrior. Then he boards a large helicopter and is lifted away.

Why was the scene cut? It really depends on who you ask. Some say it was Trank who decided to cut it, figuring he didn't need it after going back and forth on it for a while. Others say it got sacrificed when 20th Century Fox cut the budget. Either way, fans were deprived of what could have been a cool looking action scene and the film desperately needed more of those.

[Source: EW.com]

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