You probably know the members of The Fantastic Four. There’s Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, the stretchy one. There’s Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, th
You probably know the members of The Fantastic Four. There’s Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, the stretchy one. There’s Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, the unseen one. You have Joseph Quinn as her brother Johnny Storm, the fiery one. And Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, the… well, the thingy one. But you might not know their ‘Fifth Beatle’, so to speak. Make way for H.E.R.B.I.E., the Reed Richards-created adorable android, a companion and collaborator to the main four who’s about to make a massive impact in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“He’s absolutely as important and as alive as any other member of the cast,” director Matt Shakman enthuses to Empire about H.E.R.B.I.E. “He’s sometimes a slightly put-upon robot, but he is definitely a member of the family. He’s just so charming and adorable.” He’s an invaluable asset in the Baxter building and beyond. “He is really Reed’s right hand in the lab, capable of assisting him on any sort of experiment, always by his side,” explains Shakman, “whether in New York City or out in space.” Or, as seen above, when building a crib – presumably for Reed and Sue’s impending arrival.
On set, H.E.R.B.I.E. was present in multiple forms, from a wooden puppet stand-in, to a full animatronic controlled by four people. Those will be combined with CGI effects in the finished film. “Our ‘prime’ one has fully moving head and arms,” SFX supervisor Alistair Williams tells Empire on set. “We’ve had him driving around the set, cleaning, picking up toys, serving Martinis…” And he’ll have extra personality, too, courtesy of a vocal performance by legendary sound editor and voice actor Matthew Wood – aka the man behind General Grievous. “He’s charming, he’s funny — but he also will break your heart,” promises Shakman. “Which I hope is emblematic of the movie.” He might not be one of the four, but H.E.R.B.I.E. is officially fantastic.
Read Empire’s full The Fantastic Four: First Steps story – on how H.E.R.B.I.E. was brought to life on set – in the Jurassic World Rebirth issue, on sale Thursday 8 May. Pre-order a copy online here. The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes to UK cinemas from 25 July.
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