A new writer was brought on to rewrite the script for the MCU's Fantastic Four film.
Matt Shakman's Fantastic Four is set for a 2025 release date, as Marvel Studios finally introduces Marvel's First Family.
While only little is being made known about the potential cast for this upcoming comic book blockbuster, the MCU crafts what has been described as an 'optimistic' sci-fi epic.
The film is reportedly set to "surprise" people, as development on the project rolls on.
A New Fantastic Four Script for Marvel Studios
According to a new report, Avatar 2 scribe Josh Friedman was hired to rewrite the Fantastic Four script for Marvel Studios, potentially indicating a change in tone for the film.
As posted by The Hollywood Reporter, Friedman joins the project after the writing duo Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were initially tapped to pen the Marvel script.
With Friedman having worked on Avatar: The Way of Water and TNT's Snowpiercer series, this likely marks a change in direction for the Matt Shakman-directed MCU epic, moving away from the comedic fare of Kaplan and Springer (Disaster Wedding and K-Pop: Lost in America) to Friedman's largely dramatic portfolio of projects.
Friedman comes from a background made up largely of epic sci-fi storytelling, having worked in the Avatar universe, along with credits on the Tom Cruise-led War of the Worlds films and the Terminator franchise (The Sarah Conner Chronicles and Dark Fate).
Why Josh Friedman Is Important for Fantastic Four
This hiring of Josh Friedman is a big deal for Fantastic Four and the MCU moving forward.
The moving off of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer indicates Marvel is retooling the film to be something different than it was shaping up to be.
Marvel Studios know it has to get this movie right. The introduction of the Fantastic Four is almost as important as the introduction of the Avengers or the X-Men into the MCU.
What Kaplan and Springer were putting together for Marvel Studios was likely a little lighter in tone, and (if their past work was any indication) had humor at the forefront. Friedman's take on the film will not be that.
Friedman's Fantastic Four will most likely be an epic sci-fi tale that may have some funnier moments, but the humor will not be the backbone of this particular blockbuster.
As for why Marvel would make this move, perhaps it has something to do with the middling response to some recent titles that wore their funny bone prominently on their sleeves (Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania).
While the Fantastic Four can be funny, the team fits into that gripping science-fiction milieu even more naturally. Friedman's hire is a shocking twist in this movie's development, but one that may benefit it in the long run.
Fantastic Four hits theaters worldwide on February 14, 2025.
