Everybody in the geek know is aware of the never-released Fantastic Four movie produced by Roger Corman in 1994. Since then, we've had three movies released featuring Marvel's first family of crime fighting. All three of them have been critically panned and audience disappointments. Few know that there was a version pitched by Stan Lee as early as 1982 that never came to be. Thanks to Gene Simmons of KISS, we can now speculate as to what could have been.
Simmons posted a letter via Twitter that he sent to Stan Lee in 1982. It was on KISS letterhead and told Marvel legend Lee that he wanted to play The Thing in the Fantastic Four film that was being bounced around at the time. Simmons had worked with Lee in the past on an issue of Howard the Duck and two KISS comic books.
The bassist / singer of the Hottest band in the World uses his acting work in KISS - Attack of the Phantom as a reference to look at when considering him for the role of The Thing. I can totally see it from watching the scene where he breaks through a wall before smashing a vending stand and tossing around a couple of security guards. Simmons was in the early stages of starting an acting career, which would get jump-started with 1984's Runaway starring Tom Selleck.
What would a Fantastic Four movie starring Gene Simmons as The Thing look like? We'll only be able to imagine now. It certainly would have added an interesting bullet note in KISStory and comic book movie history.
Above is Artist Jason McLean's rendering of Gene Simmons as The Thing. Yes, we know that he wouldn't have played the character as his Demon persona. However, mashing the two together was too tempting.
Don't miss your chance to see Gene Simmons one last time on KISS's upcoming End of the Road tour. It will be the band's last worldwide outing and kicks off on January 31st in Vancouver, Canada. If you've never seen KISS live, you owe it to yourself to see the Greatest Rock Show on Earth. You can get tickets to shows right here.
