Fantastic Four | |
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Based on | |
Produced by | Kevin Feige |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Fantastic Four is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series.
20th Century Fox began work on a new Fantastic Four film after the failure of Fantastic Four (2015). In March 2019, following the company's acquisition by Disney, control of the franchise was transferred to Marvel Studios. A new film was announced in July 2019, with Jon Watts revealed as director in December 2020. Watts stepped down in April 2022.
Fantastic Four will be part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Production
Development
After the critical and commercial failure of the 2015 film Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox began looking at "various angles" to take the franchise rather than just making another Fantastic Four film.[1] By June 2017, Seth Grahame-Smith was writing the screenplay for a new film that would not reboot the franchise, but would shift the focus to Franklin and Valeria Richards, the children of original Fantastic Four leaders Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Taking inspiration from the Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, the screenplay also included the Thing and the Human Torch, and was described as "kid-centric" with a vibe closer to that of The Incredibles (2004) than the previous Fantastic Four film.[2] The basis of the screenplay came from a separate script that Carter Blanchard had adapted from the children's book Kindergarten Heroes by Mark Millar. Millar had previously consulted with Fox on their Marvel-based films.[3] In March 2019, The Walt Disney Company officially acquired 21st Century Fox, and gained the film rights to the Marvel Comics characters that they controlled for its subsidiary Marvel Studios, including the Fantastic Four.[4][5] The Marvel-based films that Fox had been developing were placed "on hold".[6]
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed a new Fantastic Four film was in development at the studio in July 2019 after announcing the company's Phase Four slate.[7] Feige stated that he was "extremely excited about those characters, and about bringing Marvel's first family up to the sort of platform and level they deserve."[8] In December 2020, Feige announced that Jon Watts, who previously directed the MCU Spider-Man films, would direct Fantastic Four.[9][10] By February 2021, Marvel Studios had begun meeting with writers for the film.[11] In June, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Feige and Marvel Studios were planning to "mine" the Fantastic Four franchise.[12][13] In April 2022, Watts stepped down as director of the film, citing the need to step away from superhero films following his near-constant work filming and promoting the MCU Spider-Man films for seven years. Marvel Studios and Watts both expressed interest in working together again in the future.[14] John Krasinski debuted in the role of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, a member of the Fantastic Four, in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Krasinksi was previously rumored and a popular suggestion for the role among fans for some time, especially since this film's announcement. This version of the character is from Earth-838, an alternate universe to the main MCU, and is a member of the Illuminati.[15] In May 2022, Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin were revealed to serve as producers on the film, after previously collaborating with Marvel Studios on the Disney+ series Moon Knight (2022).[16] By the start of June, Marvel Studios was not close to shortening their list of director candidates, which reportedly featured a "large mix" that included some high-profile filmmakers. Feige reportedly wanted a director who would be able to oversee the filming process without him being present for the entire shoot, similar to Sam Raimi for Multiverse of Madness.[17]
Release
Fantastic Four will be part of Phase Four of the MCU.[18]
See also
References
- ^ Couch, Aaron; Wigler, Josh; Kit, Borys (July 20, 2017). "Noah Hawley Developing Movie About 'Fantastic Four' Villain Doctor Doom for Fox". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ Johnston, Rich (June 20, 2017). "Rumours Of A New Fantastic Four Movie From Fox. You Know, For Kids". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ Johnston, Rich (August 24, 2017). "Fantastic Four "Kids" Movie Is A Rework Of Mark Millar's Kindergarten Heroes". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (March 19, 2019). "Disney Closes $71.3 Billion Fox Deal, Creating Global Content Powerhouse". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "The Walt Disney Company To Acquire Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., After Spinoff of Certain Businesses, For $52.4 Billion in Stock" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (February 5, 2019). "Lauren Shuler Donner Confirms Fox Marvel Movies on Hold; Wants 'X-Men' Franchise to "Evolve"". Collider. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Mithaiwala, Mansoor (July 20, 2019). "MCU Fantastic Four Movie Confirmed At SDCC 2019". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Outlaw, Kofi (July 21, 2019). "Marvel's Kevin Feige Promises to Bring Fantastic Four up to the Level They Deserve". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Hall, Jacob (December 10, 2020). "Marvel Studios Confirms 'Fantastic 4' Movie Coming From 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Director Jon Watts". /Film. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Dinh, Christine (December 10, 2020). "Breaking: Marvel Studios Announces 'Fantastic Four' Feature Film". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Kroll, Justin [@krolljvar] (February 20, 2021). "All I'm gonna say is this, Marvel just started meeting with writers on Fantastic Four, there is no script and it will be awhile before this film starts shooting" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan; Weprin, Alex (June 14, 2021). "Don't Expect an Ad-Supported Disney+ Option, CEO Says". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ Lund, Anthony (June 15, 2021). "Fantastic Four Franchise Teased by Disney CEO While Discussing Future Marvel Plans". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 29, 2022). "'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts Exits Marvel's 'Fantastic Four'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Garbutt, Emily (May 5, 2022). "The Illuminati members in Doctor Strange 2, listed and explained". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Barnhardt, Adam (May 12, 2022). "Moon Knight Producers Working on Fantastic Four Next". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (June 2, 2022). "Marvel Studios Searching for "Big Name" Fantastic Four Director". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Paige, Rachel (December 11, 2020). "All of the Marvel Studios News Coming out of The Walt Disney Company's 2020 Investor Day Presentation". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.