MCU’s Fantastic Four film is one of the most anticipated superhero movies. Marvel fans are excited for Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and the Thing to finally come home and join other heroes in the superhero franchise. However, it seems like not everything is going smoothly regarding the film.
The latest news is that Marvel Studios has brought in a new writer to pen the script of the film. This news comes amid Marvel dealing with Ant-Man 3’s failure, Jonathan Majors’ abuse allegations, and VFX head Victoria Alonso getting fired. Is this Marvel’s downward spiral?
MCU’s Fantastic Four Finds A New Writer
The Wrap reported that Josh Friedman, who wrote Avatar 2, has been brought on board to pen the newest draft of the upcoming Fantastic Four film. He will replace Ian Springer and Jeff Kaplan, who wrote the previous script. Apart from Avatar 2, Friedman has been credited for Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Terminator: Dark Fate, and TNT’s Snowpiercer.
Matt Shakman, who helmed the critically acclaimed and fan-beloved WandaVision show, will direct the film. MCU’s Fantastic Four film will be the fourth high-profile movie adaptation of the beloved characters. Two films were directed by Tim Story for 20th Century Fox starring Michael Chiklis as Thing, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, and Jessica Alba as Sue Storm.
A 2015 film was also released, directed by Josh Trank, but it sank at the box office. Looking at Friedman’s writing credits does inspire confidence, but one has to remember that several viewers of Avatar 2 expressed that the story of the film was weak and the movie was carried by James Cameron’s directorial prowess, action scenes, and great VFX.
As such, it remains to be seen if Friedman’s draft for the script becomes the final one that’s used. But Marvel fans aren’t happy with the way things are going at Marvel. They think that this change signals that Marvel Studios doesn’t have a set story or vision for Marvel’s premiere superhero family.
Read More: Fantastic Four: Marvel Reportedly Wants a Jewish Actor as The Thing in a Move to Escape Fan Backlash
Fans Unhappy With Marvel Studios
Marvel fans aren’t taking the news of Josh Friedman being brought in to write a new draft of Fantastic Four positively. Not only are many questioning Friedman’s writing skills, but they are also getting tired of Marvel incessantly setting up sequels without making a good film at first. However, not everyone is so pessimistic. Some think that the family themes of Avatar 2 were the best parts of the film and so they have faith that Friedman will recreate such a dynamic again for the Fantastic Four.
Here’s what fans are saying about it all:
Mcu is so finished.
— C.A 🐺 (@_eagles10_) March 31, 2023
When will marvel realize they can't polish a turd with 3 more writers on staff
— KB-Killer (@KbKiller99) March 31, 2023
Ummm…. Writer of a movie that had one of the least interesting scripts in years, that was carried by action scenes and visuals entirely – greeeaat 😂
— Maja Radwanska (@majaradwanska) March 31, 2023
Way of Water had a well written themes center around the family values and relationships, so this is already a good sign pic.twitter.com/AnKwPFskPS
— 2KO (@SPIDEY1500) March 31, 2023
I’m not confident in this
— Jen🖤🖤🖤 (@Jen____Tweeting) March 31, 2023
MCU wants some of that Jim Cameron magic. It's pretty clear that Feige & co have no idea what they are doing
— Tony Gilroy's Final Draft (@madovercinema) April 1, 2023
This news is coming amid speculations about Jonathan Majors getting ousted as Kang due to abuse allegations against him. Many think that Josh Friedman has been brought in to make changes to accommodate Majors’ possible departure. To make matters worse, there are unending theories about the possible reasons behind the departure of Victoria Alonso, the former president of physical, post-production, visual effects, and animation at Marvel Studios.
Fans are also alarmed at what the failure of Ant-Man 3 signals for the MCU. The movie is speculated to not even reach $500 million at the global box office, making it the lowest-grossing film in the Ant-Man franchise. As such, things aren’t going too well for Marvel. So the bosses will surely want to tighten up production and look after the quality of the films they are putting out. It remains to be seen how things go for the MCU and the Fantastic Four.
Fantastic Four will release on February 14, 2025.
Source: The Wrap
