Actor Michael B. Jordan has officially signed on as the brother to Sue Storm in director Josh Trank’s reboot of The Fantastic Four.
The 26-year-old rising star has been bandied about for the role of Johnny Storm, also known as The Human Torch, and now sources from his agency confirmed his involvement. With the exception of Idris Elba as Heimdall in Marvel’s Thor series, there has yet to be a lead African American or female superhero film (excluding Elektra) in the cinematic comic book universe.
Instantly after word broke around the web that the That Awkward Moment star was cast in the role, the Internets sprung a racist backlash. Responses have ranged from downright disgusting (“Black people cannot woo women.”) to insulting. While other may say that this has nothing to do about race, the fact that there was such a heavy debate about whether Jordan could pull of the role or not signifies a much larger discussion.
In terms of casting Johnny’s sister, Sue Storm, the studio has yet to announce whether it will go for an African American actress or stick with the traditional model for the role. Actresses such as Saorise Ronan, Nicole Beharie, Samira Wiley and Kate Mara have been hinted at, which would continue to raise the issue about skin color in comic book movies.
So what do you think? Do you care that Jordan is going to be the new Human Torch?
Props: The Inquistr