The highly anticipated introduction of Marvel’s first family, Fantastic Four, into the MCU didn’t yield any major news at D23 Expo 2022, but it has been reported that screenwriters are already hard at work on a script for Fantastic Four. Screenwriters Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer have officially been named as Marvel Studios’ option for the Phase 6-launching franchise.
Matt Shankman (WandaVision), who was in the audience at D23 Expo when Kevin Feige pointed him out to just confirm him as the film’s director, evidently came on board after Kaplan and Springer.
Kaplan and Springer are newcomers to the industry, although they are considered “one of the hotter screenwriters in town, having sold several specifications in the last year.” One of these projects is the Warner Bros. comedy Disaster Wedding, for which Palm Springs director Max Barbakow was just hired.
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MCU Fantastic Four is not an origin story
Fantastic Four, which was produced into three films at 20th Century Fox before being acquired by Disney, will not be another origin story, according to Kevin Feige. He states:
“A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?”
Fantastic Four will be released on November 8, 2024, and will kick off Marvel’s Phase 6 storytelling. Although no cast has been announced yet, online speculation is rampant. In May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, John Krasinski played an alternate universe version of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, though it is unknown if he will reprise the role.
During the sequel’s press tour, Sam Raimi remarked to the A Quiet Place star’s casting as “fan service,” implying that a different actor will be chosen for this reboot.
How can Fantastic Four change the MCU?
The superteam was created in 1961 by writer Stan Lee and illustrator Jack Kirby, and its members included Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and the tortured Ben Grimm/The Thing.
Here’s the Fantastic Four’s success formula: The Fantastic Four are not a superhero group. It’s a family. Reed Richards and Sue Storm were engaged in Fantastic Four long before they were hit by cosmic rays and transformed into Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, respectively. Sue’s younger brother is Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch. Benjamin Grimm, a.k.a. the ever-loving, blue-eyed Thing, isn’t legally a Storm family member, but he’s Reed’s best friend, and everyone treats him as if he were a part of the family.
The Fantastic Four, like most families, do not always get along. They argue. They are at odds. They irritate one another. Johnny and Ben act like brothers, and their bond is marked by pranks, disagreements, and healthy sibling rivalry. Reed and Sue adore each other, but their marriage is far from perfect.
Also, their classic comic book villains like Dr. Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus could be a treat for MCU fans. Also, we got the Kang tie-up to Reed Richards’ story arc coming in the MCU soon.
The most obvious element that distinguishes the MCU’s Fantastic Four is that it is part of the MCU. On the big screen, audiences have never seen the superhero team interact with other important Marvel characters. Involving known MCU characters in the film would help make it abundantly obvious that, unlike prior films, these characters are inextricably linked to the other Marvel films.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
