Following the less-than-stellar box office results of Tim Story’s two previous attempts to bring Marvel’s first family to the big screen, Chronicle director Josh Trank takes over with the assignment of injecting his dark and gritty sensibilities into the mix. Right off the bat, Trank and the screenwriting team of Simon Kinberg and Jeremy Slater upended the historic characterizations by casting Michael B. Jordan (one of his super-powered Chronicle players) as the fiery Johnny Storm, the brother of Kate Mara’s Sue Storm, with Miles Teller and Jamie Bell stepping in respectively as Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. While on the surface such risk-taking with the casting feels like a publicity stunt, it would be wise to adopt a wait-and-see approach, because these four actors have more than enough talent to become real heroes in a darkly comic world. (Opens wide Friday) (PG-13) Not screened in time for review
