Marvel Studios is reportedly looking at some of the biggest names in Hollywood to direct the highly anticipated upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Now, the studio has assembled a long list of potential candidates to direct the film.
Kevin Feige first announced that they would be pursuing a Fantastic Four movie in 2019 during Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con Hall H presentation, not long after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the studio that previously held the film rights to the superhero team. At the time, Feige announced that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts would direct the film, but Watts recently stepped away from Fantastic Four to take a break from directing superhero films.
In a Twitter thread, Deadline's Senior Film Reporter Justin Kroll stated that, according to his sources, Marvel Studios is currently in the process of narrowing down a lengthy list of directors and that they are nowhere near close to a final decision. Kroll even quotes his source as saying, “I’d be shocked if a choice is made before Labor Day.” Kroll continued the thread by saying that while no names have currently surfaced, Feige and co. are allegedly looking at some big-name directors. Kroll quotes another source who tells him, “Kevin doesn’t want to oversee the entire shoot and after not having to worry about that with [Sam] Raimi, he is very game to the same outcome with this shoot.”
Fans got a taste of an MCU Fantastic Four in Marvel Studios' 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where actor John Krasinski portrayed the historical leader of the group, scientific genius Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. In the film, Richards is a member of the Illuminati, a secretive superhero organization that monitors the multiverse. At the moment, Krasinski is not confirmed to be reprising the role.
There have been three feature films starring The Fantastic Four, but none of them have taken place in the MCU. The team made their film debut in a 2005 movie starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and MCU actor Chris Evans before he became Captain America. The film received a sequel in 2007 titled Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which featured actor Laurence Fishburne as the voice of The Silver Surfer. Neither film was well revived by fans or critics, and the studio decided to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise in 2015 with a new film starring Top Gun: Maverick actor Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan. The 2015 reboot had a notoriously difficult production with director Josh Trank and the studio often at odds with each other. As a result, the film bombed at the box office and was once again poorly received by audiences.
The failure of the first three Fantastic Four films puts a lot of pressure on Marvel Studios to produce a successful film, which may be why they are taking their time to find the right director to shape the franchise. Feige citing director Raimi's competence may also be a good sign, as it means the studio could be willing to trust future MCU filmmakers to work more independently, allowing them to create a more singular and unique vision for their films. Raimi brought a lot of his signature genre style and flair to Doctor Strange, which put off some die-hard MCU fans but ultimately has proven successful for the studio, as the film was largely well-received and has continued to perform well at the box office. However, with no names confirmed at the moment, fans might have to wait a while to see Marvel's first family join the MCU.
Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four movie is currently in development.
Source: Justin Kroll | Twitter