Despite it being one of the MCU’s top priorities, it seems that Marvel is still struggling to select the right director for the next Fantastic Four film. Anyone who’s into Marvel knows that this IP has had a really troubled history in film. A couple of movies using the characters came out in the early 2000s, but the reception was lukewarm. Later, in 2015, Fox tried again with a new cast and creative team. This take didn’t quite pan out either.
The 2015 Fantastic Four movie featured more-or-less the most bare-bones look at the origin story of the team you could get. Other criticism focused heavily on the drab atmosphere of the movie and poor pacing. As such, it almost seems like the franchise is cursed. No matter how hard Marvel tries, or who they enlist to bring the story to life, it always falls flat on its face. Maybe that’s one of the reasons it’s been so difficult to find a director. Kevin Feige announced a return to the property in 2019, and while Spider-Man: No Way Hay Home’s Jon Watts was originally attached to direct, he recently left Marvel to pursue other opportunities. (The official reason he cited is that he didn’t want to get pigeonholed into the superhero genre.)
Deadline’s Justin Kroll recently tweeted some information about the search, saying that while Fantastic Four is a huge priority for Marvel, they are also “not even close” to settling on Watts’ replacement.
He also tweeted that “no names have surfaced” among the potential replacements, although supposedly there are still a “large mix of candidates” up for the job. Apparently, Kevin Feige “doesn’t want oversee entire shoot and after not having to worry about that with [Sam] Raimi” on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which suggests Marvel could be looking for a very experienced and well-established filmmaker to take control.
It completely makes sense that Feige would like to wait for someone like Sam Raimi to come along. We’re just hoping that happens sooner rather than later.
The Worst Superhero Movies Ever Made
We love superhero movies here at ScreenCrush, but the genre is not without its share of flops. Here we rank the worst of the worst.
