Marvel Studios Producer Discusses FANTASTIC FOUR Saying It Will Embrace The Source Material
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to ignite with the launch of Phase 5 with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, but they're already preparing for the next frontier… Phase 6! And at the forefront of this next wave of superhero epicness is none other than the Fantastic Four!
While John Krasinski may have made a brief appearance as Reed Richards in the brutal Doctor Strange sequel, the new Fantastic Four film will mark the official induction of Marvel’s First Family into the MCU. While details on casting and plot are being kept under wraps, Marvel producer Stephen Broussard promises that the film will be a true celebration of the original source material from the comics. He recently talked about the film, saying:
“I wouldn’t presume to know everything about that film; I’m not necessarily working on it. But one of the founding principles of Marvel, going back to Iron Man and the casting of Tony that I think has resonated through today, is to embrace the source material and these comics that have been around forever. They’re older than me, and I’m guessing they’re older than you too. They’ve been around for a while for a reason, [so we] lean into that.”
It's been nearly 20 years since the Fantastic Four hit the big screen, and the MCU has taken the superhero genre to new heights since then. With this wealth of experience with building out these epic stories, Broussard is confident that this reboot of the Fantastic Four will be the ultimate realization of the team's potential. He said:
“In 2005, maybe there was a reticence to fully embrace what it was. In everything; in the embodiment of Galactus and things like that. Whatever form the story takes, whatever characters do or do not appear, that founding principle will be embraced and will welcome them into the MCU.”
Matt Shakman ( WandaVision) is directing the film and he recently confirmed that cameras will be rolling in early 2024 meaning that the project still seems to be on track for its February 2025 release date. He also offered the following update:
"It was just too hard to pass up, and to go back home to Marvel, a place that I worked on WandaVision at, with those people who are wonderful collaborators. It's really a family there and to be able to go back and tackle something that I truly love, and they're very similar in some ways: they both were launched in the '60s at the same time, they're both about optimism and looking to the stars and technology can solve everything and they're about family too – the family you have, the family you make. So they're aligned in many ways and speak to my heart and equally, so I'm excited to be working on Fantastic Four."
Marvel Studios previously hired Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer to write the script. Fantastic Four arrives in theaters on February 14, 2025.