Fantastic Four was the perhaps the biggest black eye of all. A German company had optioned the property in the mid-1980s, and it was put into production more or less because the option was set to expire in 1992, dashing Marvel’s hope of reacquiring the potentially valuable property in the wake of Batman’s success. In the contract Marvel had failed to specify a minimum budget, so executive producer Bernd Eichinger went ahead with a rock-bottom level of reportedly just $1 million. The cast, which included Jay Underwood and Rebecca Staab, was paid a measly $3,500 a week, and the on-set catering
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