Ant-Man: Quantumania was a film that felt the least like an Ant-Man movie out of the three films that were released with the character at its center. However, the film’s focus on family and exploration made it feel like another superhero IP, one that Reed never got off the ground but came very close to directing.
Back when Fox was still a distinct entity from Disney, the studio was keen on producing a Fantastic Four movie, an endeavor that came to fruition with 2005’s Fantastic Four, directed by Tim Story. However, a host of filmmakers had their run pitching their vision for Marvel’s First Family, Peyton Reed among them. What was interesting about his pitch, was that Reed wanted his version of the Fantastic Four set in the 1960s, just as Marvel’s version of the team will allegedly be set.
Peyton Reed’s pitch was less exploration and more slice-of-life
Peyton Reed’s pitch for the Fantastic Four was very different when compared to what we were treated to in the 2005 outing of The First Family. Peyton Reed’s version of The Fantastic Four was set in the ’60s, which was against what the industry had done with other superhero films until then. Usually, it was expected that the origins of the heroes would be updated for modern times (as was done by 2005’s Fantastic Four).
However, Peyton Reed did not wish to make an origin story at all, nor did he want it to be an action-adventure. It was supposed to be set in the 60s, and be a slice-of-life story about the Fantastic Four. Reed, speaking about the project, talked about what he expected:
“It was just going to be like you’re in Downtown Manhattan and they’re there. It was a pretty exciting idea. At the time — again this was 2002 or ’03 — early on, way pre-MCU, I felt like Fox was not gonna make it”
Reed was confident that the film would be scrapped, which was partially true, given the radically different approach that was taken by the two films that were released.
Alex Ross also believed the Fantastic Four belonged in the 60s
Alex Ross is one of the premiere artists of the comic book industry, and even he believes that the X-Men would shine in the 60s. Ross, with regards to the fans pushing for the MCU film in the 60s, said:
“I think it’d be a real benefit to show them back when pop stars became such a raging thing and show how their celebrity [status] was kind of a thing they had to live with in that time period…and they can meet The Beatles.”
Peyton Reed and Alex are among those members of the Fantastic Four fandom who understand the IP better than anyone else. While Peyton snuck aspects of the IP into his Ant-Man films, Ross has developed artwork, taking inspiration from pop art of the 60s, for Fantastic Four: Full Circle
The upcoming movie as well, is allegedly set in the 60s and explores the fame and fortune of Marvel’s First Family.
