Fantastic Four Reboot Taken Over By WandaVision Director?
What would that be like?
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe winds down its current Phase Four, several projects are still being released to cap off a fantastic year. James Gunn’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be coming to Disney+ in December, while Ryan Coogler’s epic Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will see the light of day this November. Audiences have seemingly enjoyed the new series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as they look toward what the future phases will bring to a storied media franchise. One film, in particular, Fantastic Four, is set for a reboot in 2024 as part of the MCU’s Phase Six, and it appears the movie may already be getting a new director.
According to a report by The Direct, director Matt Shakman is rumored to be taking the director’s chair on the Fantastic Four reboot, with filming expected to start in 2023. Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts had initially planned to direct the reboot for Marvel Studios and Disney but left the project earlier this year because he wasn’t interested in handling more superhero fare. Shakman, on the other hand, has been working with Marvel for years as he helped usher in WandaVision for Disney+ as a producer and the show’s director. Since WandaVision ended, Shakman has been working hard on directing the miniseries Welcome to Chippendales starring Kumail Nanjiani.
But for Marvel, presenting the world with a Fantastic Four reboot will be no easy task, even with Matt Shakman at the helm. Several Fantastic Four films have been released in the last twenty years, starting with the 2005 movie starring Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon. A sequel came about in 2007 called Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and a reboot followed in 2015 starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbell. The 2015 adaptation was very poorly received by critics and audiences, with Metacritic currently ranking the film with a Metascore of 27 and a User Score of 2.6, which typically denotes unfavorable reviews.
Even though a cast has not been announced for the Fantastic Four reboot, many fans are looking to other MCU entries to see if they can decide who should play the iconic superheroes. Digital Spy reports that audiences enjoyed watching The Office star John Krasinski in a teaser form as Reed Richards in this summer’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that casting may have been short-lived for now. Fans of Fantastic Four seem to want Krasinski to stay in the role, and they have pointed to the fact that most characters who appear in the multiverse are portrayed by the same actor. So, it shouldn’t be out of the question to assume the Jack Ryan star will be added to the cast of the upcoming reboot. For now, no other casting decisions have been made public. Still, filming will take place in the next few months, so nailing down the director and principal cast is probably a top priority for Marvel Studios.
