Fantastic Four Is Stretching Forward
The MCU Fantastic Four movie has found its writers.
The Fantastic Four movie is inching closer to reality, as an important role in the creative team has just been filled. The film, based on the iconic Marvel superheroes, already found its director in Matt Shakman, and according to an exclusive report by Deadline, it just found its writers in Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. The duo doesn’t have much of a Hollywood resume, but recently sold two highly-touted scripts: Disaster Wedding (produced by Spider-Man director Jon Watts) and K-Pop: Lost in America, a Rebel Wilson comedy.
Taking a risk on new filmmaking talent is a common practice for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige (who is producing the film), a risk that often pays off big dividends. Although Kaplan and Springer are still unproven, having Matt Shakman on board as director will help. The WandaVision and Game of Thrones director understands the Marvel way of doing tings, and believed in Fantastic Four so much that he dropped out of directing Star Trek 4 to do it.
One of the cornerstones of the Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four was actually the first superhero comic published by Marvel Comics in 1961. The team consists of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Girl), her brother Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing), who gain superpowers after a cosmic mishap aboard their spaceship. As they are based in New York City, the Fantastic Four often teams up with Spider-Man in the comic books, a partnership that would make for a great film.
Fans were disappointed at the recent D23 Expo, where no major announcements were made regarding the film by Kevin Feige, other than confirming Shakman as director, which was old news. They were hoping for some casting announcements, including whether John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) would reprise his role as Reed Richards, having played a Multiverse version of Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Earlier this month, Giant Freaking Robot reported exclusively that Marvel was eyeing Harrison Ford for a role, possibly as Franklin Storm, father of Sue and Johnny Storm and the head of the Baxter Institute. Rumors also circulated that Jodie Comer might join Fantastic Four as Sue Storm, but alas, the D23 Expo did not confirm either report.
The introduction of the Fantastic Four has been a long time coming, as rights issues held it in cinematic limbo for years. Constantin Film, a German film company, bought the rights to Fantastic Four in 1986, when Marvel was struggling to stay afloat and selling off film rights to stay solvent. The company even made a low-budget film version produced by Roger Corman in an attempt to retain the rights, but it was never officially released.
Fox eventually acquired the rights and made three films: 2005’s Fantastic Four, the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and a 2015 reboot starring Miles Teller that flopped at the box office. When Disney (which owns Marvel Studios) acquired Fox in 2019, it regained the rights, and at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, Kevin Feige announced a new reboot would kick off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on November 8, 2024.
