The director of Fantastic Four: First Steps revealed why he made the “heartbreaking” decision to cut one of his “very favorite humans,” John Malkovich, from the film. Director Matt Shakman told Variety Wednesday that Malkovich, 71, who was set to play the villain Ivan Kragoff, aka the Red Ghost. He said Malkovich “was brilliant in it and gave it his all,” but that “there were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor.” The director praised the Emmy winner as “one of my biggest inspirations,” which is why it was so “heartbreaking not to include him in the final version of the movie.” “As a person who walks the line between theater and film and television, there’s no one who is more inspiring than the founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company,” Shakman said, referring to the Chicago theatre company Malkovich co-founded. “What he’s done on stage as an actor and what he’s done as a director in theater as well as in film, and as just a film actor of incredible ability—I was honored he came to play,” he added. Malkovich briefly appeared in the movie’s first teaser trailer in February. Fantastic Four: First Steps comes out on July 25.
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