It was a tad chaotic for fans when Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot lost Jon Watts as its director, but WandaVision director Matt Shakman replaced him. It's been quiet since his announcement, but fellow MCU director Peyton Reed now has an update for fans on the project's development.
Before Tim Story's Fantastic Four, Reed attempted to pitch his interpretation of Marvel's first family to 20th Century Fox in the early 2000s. But it was shot it down, as "it felt like they sort of wanted to make a B-movie out of it. So we parted ways."
So when Watts departed as director, many fans guessed that maybe Reed would finally have his go at the property. However, it simply wasn't to be, but in a new interview, Reed said that he doesn't mind.
Reed Excited for Shakman's Fantastic Four
In an interview with Somos Geeks to promote Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, director Peyton Reed was given condolences by the interviewer, who was "so sorry" about him losing out on directing Fantastic Four, a project Reed's been vocally passionate about for decades.
However, Reed was fine not directing it, who instead "channeled [his] passion for Fantastic Four into the Ant-Man movies:"
“No, no, no, listen, I developed Fantastic Four 22 years ago for about a year when it was way pre-Marvel. And at that time, Fox didn’t want to make the movie as sort of big as these movies now are, so I think I sort of channeled my passion for Fantastic Four into the Ant-Man movies, because they’re both you know they’re both stories about families of superheroes."
Reed then gushed about what he's witnessed of Shakman's Fantastic Four and that he's "seen initial artwork" for the project and "it's going to be great:"
"And… to me, it’s something… 20 years is a long time and… I want someone else to do Fantastic Four. Matt Shakman is gonna… Matt is gonna… and I’ve seen, between you and me only, I’ve seen initial artwork for the Fantastic Four, stuff around the Marvel offices and it’s going to be great.”
Pre-Production Well Underway
Fans don't know who will be playing the Fantastic Four, but it's clear that pre-production for the film is well underway and was likely so even before Jon Watts left as director. This is not to say that Matt Shakman won't have his own vision for the team, but it's clear that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is keeping a closer eye on this production than any other.
This makes sense with every adaptation of the Fantastic Four thus far botching the execution. Whether they're too corny, like Tim Story's two attempts, or serious, as seen with Josh Trank's trainwreck.
Furthermore, considering that Reed had pitched his film as a '60s period piece, it could be that the concept art for the team could be going classic.
Fans will have to see what the Fantastic Four will look like when it releases in theaters on February 14, 2025.
