Watch the Cast of the Unreleased 'Fantastic Four' Movie Take Their Place in Marvel History
The stars of Roger Corman's unreleased 1994 film reflect on what might have been as part of their cameos in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Although the Corman-produced Fantastic Four gained a reputation as a Hollywood joke, the cast and crew approached it with great passion, determined to bring the Marvel Comics-inspired story to life.
To honor the origins of Marvel's first family, the original cast from the 1994 film appeared briefly in this year’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In a recent featurette, they shared memories of working on Corman's production.
Behind the Scenes of the 1994 Film
Jay Underwood, who portrayed Johnny Storm, discussed the tight timeline driven by producer Bert Eichinger's need to keep the film rights. He explained:
“He was going to lose the rights unless he went into production by a certain date. So he goes to Roger Corman and says, ‘Can you make this movie and make it right now and make it cheap?’ … We put together this million-dollar movie, which for Corman was actually probably a very big budget at the time. But certainly not a budget that you need for a movie like the Fantastic Four.”
Marvel's Perspective on the Original Film
Grant Curtis, MCU producer on First Steps, praised Corman's effort, noting:
“He did a lot of things right in that movie … One of the things I think they did extremely well was the character relationships. And not every special effect on any movie holds up over time. But those were very real relationships that, when we did our homework and we looked at the movie early on, we took note [of].”
This recognition highlights the emotional core that endured despite the film's challenges, offering a window into Marvel’s respect for its roots.
Author's summary: The cast of the unreleased 1994 Fantastic Four film reflects on their passionate work under tight constraints, with Marvel’s new project honoring their authentic character portrayals despite the movie’s limited budget.