Even though Spider-Man: No Way Home's box office numbers continue to make headlines, the film's success is no accident. Two decades' worth of Spider-Man stars in a single film during a pandemic required careful planning and coordination; and the man tasked with such a formidable undertaking was none other than Marvel's future Fantastic Four director, Jon Watts.
While fans don't know when and where Tom Holland's Spidey, as well as that of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's web-slingers, will appear next, it's no secret that Jon Watts' MCU story is far from over.
Still, despite Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announcing Watts' attachment to the reboot in 2020, the film has yet to receive a release date; but now, on the heels of No Way Home's debut, a new report has offered some insight into where Fantastic Four falls in the director's packed schedule.
Is the MCU's Fantastic Four Director Jon Watts' Next Film?
According to an article from Variety, Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot is "likely" to be the next film on the director's slate (despite Watts serving as a producer for the upcoming Final Destination 6 film), indicating that Marvel's First Family movie will be ramping up production sooner rather than later.
However, at this time, the Marvel film still has no confirmed release date.
In addition to producing Final Destination 6, Variety has also reported that Watts is set to direct a film for Apple Studios starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
While some speculated that this Clooney-Pitt collaboration would be Watt's next directorial undertaking, fans can now expect that his next outing will be Fantastic Four.
Thanks to Spider-Man 3, Watts' Fantastic Four is a Guarantee?
The questions and even uncertainty surrounding Watts' Fantastic Four aren't exclusive to this film alone but extend to Marvel Studios' announced 2022 and 2023 schedules.
In October of 2021, Marvel Studios delayed the bulk of their upcoming slate, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnia. In addition, two untitled Marvel movies were removed from the schedule while a third untitled film was bumped up to November 3, 2023.
Of course, fans were concerned as to what this reshuffling meant for the Fantastic Four, particularly since the MCU is also expected to release Deadpool 3, a new Blade, and sequels for Shang-Chi and potentially Eternals.
However, if Watts has a confirmed gig with Clooney and Pitt and still has Fantastic Four coming first, MCU fans may be seeing Sue Storm and Doctor Reed Richards sooner rather than later, especially since rumors have already hinted at a 2023 production timeline for the film.
Due to the fan demand for Marvel's first family, coupled with Watts' growing workload, it's unlikely that either the director or the project has been pushed to the backburner. If anything, Spider-Man: No Way Home's success likely made Watts' Fantastic Four all the more a priority for Marvel Studios.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently playing in theaters.
