In the spring, when fans learned that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts was leaving the highly anticipated and talked about Fantastic Four picture, they were understandably devastated. The most recent Spider-Man picture, directed by Tom Holland, was a huge financial and critical success, making it an easy call to bring him back to lead the next Fantastic Four feature. Since Watts’ resignation, there has been much speculation about who Marvel may recruit to continue developing the superhero film.
At any rate, it’s a good thing it’s Friday because it appears like WandaVision’s Matt Shakman has agreed to helm the show. What this means is that the creative concept of the guy responsible for the hit Disney+ and Marvel series will be infused into the Fantastic Four film. Deadline states that negotiations are still underway, but it appears that Marvel president Kevin Feige’s first pick is Shakman. After the phenomenal success of WandaVision, for which Shakman received an Emmy nomination for Best Director and the series received numerous more Emmy nominations, he is the ideal choice to direct Fantastic Four and ensure its success on par with WandaVision’s. While at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Feige revealed that the upcoming Fantastic Four film will act as the MCU’s Phase 6 kick-off, with a release date of November 8, 2024.
Several previous films focusing on the heroic quartet have already been released, so this won’t be the first time their story is told on the big screen. There was a 2005 film directed by Tim Story and starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis, to name just a few of the most well-known actors in the industry at the time. The Fantastic Four’s 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, would have a similar story. Fantastic Four (FANT4STIC), directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell, was released in 2015 as a relaunch of the franchise based on the Marvel heroes.
This adaptation’s plot also allowed for a sequel, but the original movie was such a bomb that the sequel was never made. It appears like Marvel is pushing forward at full speed in an effort to repair the damage done by its prior Fantastic Four adaptations. With Shakman’s name attached, Marvel is taking their next attempt at turning Fantastic Four into a box office smash very seriously.