Ebon Moss-Bacharach says he used the Thing’s catchphrase while filming “Fantastic Four”: 'I slipped it in there'
The star of "The Bear" also explained how the motion-capture process worked for creating his Ben Grimm on screen.
Marvel fans already know that Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) is playing Ben Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing, in this year's upcoming superhero film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But will he be saying the character's iconic catchphrase? Yes, if the actor gets his way.
"Do you say the words 'it's clobberin' time' at any point?" Jimmy Kimmel asked the actor on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week.
"I slipped it in there a couple times," Moss-Bacharach said with a sly smile on his face. "We'll see what happens. I don't have final cut on this one."
Related: The Fantastic Four: First Steps isn't an origin story: 'We're making it our own thing' (exclusive)
The Thing, whose body is transformed into a rock-like substance when he and his friends encountered a storm of cosmic radiation in outer space, is the bruiser of the team. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) is the brains of the operation, Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) is the literal hothead, and Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) is the team mom and secret powerhouse. But when the Fantastic Four need to get their hands dirty saving the world, it's the Thing's rocky fists they turn to, and he usually accompanies his blows with the declaration that "it's clobberin' time!"
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Moss-Bacharach also shared an update about the motion-capture process used to create the Thing in the new Fantastic Four movie. Michael Chiklis used makeup and prosthetics to portray the character in 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, while Jamie Bell's performance in 2015's Fantastic Four reboot was rendered digitally.
But The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which will finally bring Marvel's First Family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is using state-of-the-art technology to make their new Thing. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios outside London, with motion-capture expert Andy Serkis honing their method. Moss-Bacharach still hasn't seen the finished version of his character, but had enough to work with during filming.
Related: Joseph Quinn says he has 'big boots' to fill as the Human Torch after Chris Evans' Fantastic Four
"I have seen a very crude rendering, because it takes a while to build this stuff," Moss-Bacharach said. "They've got lots of animators working on this. I wore a motion-capture suit, two cameras right here and so they're capturing absolutely everything, every nuance in my eye. It takes a while to build it, and they're building it right now. Andy Serkis, who's sort of the godfather of motion-capture, he has this company The Imaginarium at Pinewood Studios, where we shot this."
Moss-Bacharach continued, "they have a room they call the Magic Mirror, where you put on the motion-capture suit and you put on monitors, and you can see in real time a beta rendering. It's not fully realized, you can't see the face too much. But there are stairs and a doorframe so you can see the physics, how big the character is."
We know that the main antagonist of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the world-eating Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson. Marvel even confirmed that by making an image of Galactus via drone light show over the skies of San Diego Comic Con this past July. That same event also revealed that Robert Downey Jr. will take play Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four's traditional archenemy, in the MCU.
Could we see Downey pop up in the Fantastic Four film, even just in the post-credits teaser? Kimmel tried his best to get an answer, but Moss-Bacharach was firm.
Related: How can Robert Downey Jr. play Doom in the MCU? Here's what we know from the comics
"It's not gonna happen," the actor said. "I've been through rigorous media training."
"So has Tom Holland, and he always gives me something," Kimmel laughed.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is due to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. You can watch Moss-Bacharach's full interview with Kimmel above, as well as EW's interview with the cast at Comic Con.
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