It may not be happening soon but Marvel Studios is finally setting its Fantastic Four reboot in motion. The project was officially announced during Disney’s investor day presentation last year, among many other things. Jon Watts, known for his work on the current iteration of the Spider-Man franchise, is set to direct. Now, it has been revealed that the studio is currently looking for a writer/writers to tackle the adaptation.
The news comes from reporter Justin Kroll. The journalist, known for his scoops in the movie and TV world, took to Twitter to offer an update on the status of the project. Though no specific names were revealed at this time, Kroll explained that Marvel Studiosrecently started meeting with writers for Fantastic Four. There is currently no script in place and it’s expected to be some time before production actually gets underway. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“All I’m gonna say is this, Marvel just started meeting with writers on Fantastic Four, there is no script and it will be awhile before this film starts shooting”
It seems this update was brought on by some recent rumors that began circulating online. It had been reported that Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: First Class, The Hunger Games) had been offered the role of Sue Storm in the upcoming reboot. Jessica Alba played the part in a pair of Fox-produced movies, with Kate Mara taking on the role in 2015’s Fantastic Four. Those reports have since been debunked. Though it does seem that the tweet was in response to the casting reports that have been making the rounds as of late.
It is also worth noting that several WandaVision fan theories are connected to the superhero team. One, in particular, that has gained a lot of traction involves a surprise appearance by Reed Richards portrayed by John Krasinski. The Office star has been a popular pick by fans for the part.
Fox controlled the rights to the franchise for years. The studio produced three theatrically released movies centered on the characters, starting with 2005’s Fantastic Four. A sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, followed in 2007. Those movies were modestly successful and, interestingly enough, featured Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. Evans would later join the MCU as Captain America. 2015’s Fantastic Four proved to be a critical and commercial disaster, earning a brutal 9 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and taking in just $167 million at the box office against a reported $120 million budget.
Disney managed to get the rights back following the Fox merger. They also now have the X-Men rights back, with a reboot of that franchise also on the way. Jon Watts previously directed both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which now ranks as Sony’s highest-grossing movie ever. Watts is currently filming the untitled Spider-Man 3, which is set to hit theaters in December. Fantastic Four does not currently have a release date set. You can check out the original post from Justin Kroll’s Twitter.