WhileMichael Chiklishadn’t yet seen Marvel’s newFantastic Four: First Stepsat the time of this interview — he was saving it for a planned weekend trip with friends — he’s already voiced his support for the cast and crew bringing the iconic team back to the big screen. “I wish everybody in that production the best,” he told Collider recently. “I had a great experience doing them, and I just… I hope that it kills. And it seems like it’s doing really well. And by the way, I really likeEbon Moss-Bachrach. He’s a terrific actor, so I’m really looking forward to see what he does with…the Thing.” WhileFirst Stepsmade an impressive impression during its opening weekend, the film has slowed down significantly and isunderperforming at the box office.
But forChiklis, who famously played Ben GrimminFantastic Four(2005) andRise of the Silver Surfer(2007), the conversation inevitably turned to the way those earlier films have been reassessed in recent years: “That’s what—yes. Thank you for saying that,” he said when he was reminded of the renewed appreciation online for the film. While the two films directed byTim Storystood alone, they’ve become cult classics in the past two decades. Fans were even treated to an appearance byChris Evansas Johnny Storm inDeadpool & Wolverinelast year.
Michael Chiklis Believes His Fantastic Four Films Were “Really Good Movies”
For Chiklis, the second wind the film is enjoying is something he feels is a long time coming.
“There were a lot of people, I think, critically who got it wrong. They really maligned our films, and they were very underrated considering… they were very loved by the audience. It was one of those cases where critics weren’t great to those films, but the audience was, and that still remains. I’ve always sort of quietly gone like, okay, say what you want to say, but the people see it. And now all these years later, people are sort of acknowledging like, hey, these films are family-friendly, fun movies…they got a lot right. They may be imperfect, but they’re really good movies.”
Chiklis also pointed out the commercial success of the Story-directed entries, noting, “We made three quarters of $1 billion, those two movies. So, you know, all those people can’t be completely out of their minds, you know what I mean?” For fans who grew up with his Ben Grimm, Chiklis says their affection hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Thank you for telling me that,” he said, after being reminded of what the movies meant to people. “It means a lot to me.”
Fantastic FourandFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surferare on Disney+ now.
Fantastic Four
