“For film critics at least, this is a cast of superheroes who have been praising their talent for years,” says Amy Nicholson, film and television critic at Rotten Tomatoes. “Whoever put them together seems to be chasing the chance to make a comic book movie with truly phenomenal performances. I hope they succeed, for the sake of the actors.”
In fact, Nicholson argues that perhaps we've all become a little too used to only seeing blockbuster celebrities in such roles.
“Hollywood has become far too dependent on stars,” Nicholson continues. “Lately, nothing over a few million dollars – let alone a superhero franchise – gets greenlit without big names.”
Such casting requirements hinder the development of new movie stars in the way that Superman launched Christopher Reeve's career, Nicholson explains. In an ideal world, more producers would go in the same direction as the upcoming episode of Fantastic Four, she says.
Additionally, Ben Saunders, a professor of comics and cartoon studies and popular culture at the University of Oregon who founded the school's comics studies program, says: If Pascal, who has had a number of high-profile roles, is not a bona fide A-lister, who is that then?
As for the British-influenced cast being tasked with reviving the troubled franchise, that isn't out of the question, says Saunders.
“It wouldn’t be the first time that British talent has helped revive and reimagine some wonderful parts of American culture,” notes Saunders. “By the mid-1980s, many of Britain's best comics artists were working for American publishers, and some of the most influential comics of the late 20th century came from this period.”
Look no further than the two British creators behind DC Comics' Watchmen – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Thanks to the talents of British-born Moore and Gibbons, “Watchmen” became one of the best-selling and critically acclaimed graphic novels (and later a film and television series) of the last 50 years, says Saunders.