In 2005, director Tim Story brought Marvel universe favourites the Fantastic Four to the big screen, with mixed results. Now he's back, at the helm of a bigger and better sequel, featuring the iconic Silver Surfer and the much-loved Fantasticar. David Grove spoke to him about the new film.

Why bring the Silver Surfer in now?

Who else is there? The Silver Surfer is the coolest comic character ever! The first film was basically the origins of all of the characters, and was based on the first few issues of the comic book. When you look at the series from then on, the biggest moment after the introduction of Doctor Doom is the introduction of Silver Surfer and Galactus in issue 48. We’re using story elements from that and from 57 through 60, where the Silver Surfer confronts Doctor Doom. We always knew that would be the basis for the sequel.

Is the Silver Surfer purely a villain in the film?

He's a reluctant villain. He’s such a complex character, because he made this deal with Galactus to save his own planet, and, in return, he’s now Galactus’ slave. He travels the galaxy, scouting out planets that are suitable for Galactus to devour, but he doesn’t like it. You understand why he does it, because he’s doing it for his family. But he tries to detach himself from feeling remorse because he’s just doing what he has to do.

Was it a big challenge bringing the Surfer to the screen?

It would’ve been a big challenge without such a great physical actor as Doug Jones. He's very good at projecting emotion, as he proved in Pan’s Labyrinth. We used motion capture to create the Silver Surfer in the movie, and Doug was there, covered with markers from head to toe. He was there for all of the scenes with the other actors, too, and made it a wonderful experience. It’s much better to have an actor there as opposed to a tennis ball.

Does this film improve upon the first, which had a mixed reaction from the fans?

The first film was a big hit worldwide, but I look back on it now and see that maybe we did some things wrong. The biggest complaint was that it was too corny and childish, and that it didn’t have enough action. We’ve fixed that this time round.

Rise of the Silver Surfer is non-stop action, because we don’t have to spend time establishing the characters, which is always a tough thing for the first film in a franchise.

Look at X-Men, for example. They spent the first hour of that film just establishing all of the characters, but then X2 was full of action, and is one of the best films ever. Rise of the Silver Surfer is off and running, right from the beginning.

So, is the tone more adult this time?

It's much darker. The arrival of the Silver Surfer signals the possible end of the world, so it’s much more serious. The Silver Surfer is a very mysterious and spiritual character, and Doctor Doom comes back more twisted and evil than ever. But we still maintain a sense of humour throughout.

How have the Fantastic Four themselves changed?

It’s been about two years since the first film, and the characters are all celebrities now, and they’re rich. They’re all dealing with celebrity and trying to lead normal lives, while still coming to terms with their super hero identities.

But the biggest change is that Reed and Sue are getting married, and that’s when the Silver Surfer appears. The Baxter Building is different too; it’s much more contemporary and it’s been refurbished.

How will Galactus appear in the movie?

The best answer is that I don’t know! He’s such a huge character that it’s hard to even conceptualize him. All I can say is that his presence will be strongly felt in the film, and it will be revealed in a very interesting way. The look of Galactus is something that evolved entirely during production, and it will stir a lot of debate among the fans.

What made you change the look of Doctor Doom and The Thing for the sequel?

Doom’s costume was problematic in the first film, because we were so preoccupied with getting the mask right. We kind of ignored the rest of his costume, but this time it's much more organic and simple, like in the comic books. We’ve gone back to basics and he looks much more threatening this time.

The biggest complaint fans had about The Thing were his eyebrows, so we’ve made them bigger in this film. Michael Chiklis’ costume is lighter now, too, so he's more agile and can go to the bathroom in less than an hour! The Thing also has more clothes in the new film. He wears a tux at one point, and he looks good in it, too.

What can we expect from the Fantasticar?

We joke that the Fantasticar is the fifth member of the Fantastic Four. It’s awesome. It’s a hovercraft that splits into three separate pods, each of which has its own weapons and tools. Reed sits at the front, Johnny and Sue pilot the second pod together, and Ben Grimm sits in the third pod, which is much bigger than the other two, obviously. It’s very organic and the look of if it was inspired by the movement and shape of a stingray. It’s 20-feet long, and we built a real 4,000lb model for some of the scenes. It’s basically the Fantastic Four’s batmobile.

Will we see more of the Silver Surfer in the future?

I think so. I hope there will be a Silver Surfer movie. Along with Wolverine, he’s my favourite character in the Marvel universe. He’s so mysterious and powerful. He can change matter, which is about as powerful as you can get, and when he arrives on your planet, it’s bad news, because you know who's going to be eating the planet soon after.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opens in the US and UK on 15 June. For a chance to win a Fantastic Four goodie bag, click here.