'Fantastic Four' May Get A Craggy Michael Chiklis

[Friday, June 25th, 2004]
20th Century Fox are planning to annouce all four cast members of the Fantastic Four simultaneously, but according to Variety that hasn't stopped Marvel's Avi Arad from fueling speculation that "The Shield" star Michael Chiklis is the most likely candidate to play craggy character the Thing.

At 20th Century Fox, the casting process has been shrouded in secrecy, but it appears Chiklis -- best known for his Emmy-winning performance on FX cop series "The Shield" -- is no longer just a candidate; he's increasingly the only thesp studio wants for the job.

Directed by Tim Story (Barbershop), Fantastic Four is the story of the first-ever family of superheroes, though not in the traditional sense: They neither fight crime nor patrol the streets of a particular city. A clan of scientist-astronauts imbued with special mutant powers, they serve as explorers and ambassadors to other planets and function without traditional "beats" like Superman in Metropolis or Batman in Gotham.

The $85 million-$90 million pic is headed for an August/September start.

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