FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Composer Michael Giacchino Says There’s a Whole Other Score We’ll “Probably Never Hear”
The music of Fantastic Four: First Steps could have sounded completely different. Composer Michael Giacchino revealed that he actually wrote two soundtracks for the upcoming Marvel Studios reboot, and one of them may never see the light of day. He told Deadline:
"I actually wrote a whole other score for this film that you probably won’t ever hear. I just remember seeing it for the first time with the music and something didn’t feel right.”
The Oscar-winning composer is no stranger to major blockbusters, having worked on Lost, The Batman, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. But even for a veteran like Giacchino, Fantastic Four: First Steps proved to be a moving target creatively, especially after the film underwent significant edits under director Matt Shakman.
Giacchino said.
"I had built this out based on one version of the movie. When I watched that music against the new version of the movie, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is not working for me.”
The changes reportedly involved the removal of an entire sequence featuring John Malkovich as the Red Ghost, which likely impacted how the story, and its musical cues, flowed. Rather than patching things up, Giacchino decided to start over.
He described the decision as part of the unpredictable, collaborative nature of blockbuster filmmaking. "What we do is a best guess. Everyone is taking their best guess at something and you're not always right," he explained.
Despite the challenge, Giacchino remains one of the most in-demand talents in Hollywood. Alongside his Marvel work, he’s directing a follow-up to the MCU special Werewolf by Night and is set to helm a mystery project for Warner Bros.
As for Marvel’s next chapter, Wonder Man arrives on Disney+ this January, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters next July.
Fans may never get to hear Giacchino’s lost Fantastic Four score, but knowing his creative instincts, the final version probably hits all the right notes. I loved the soundtrack!