It seems that the wait for a return of Marvel’s first family is set to continue, as the search for the MCU Fantastic Four reboot movie director is still ongoing. The cinematic history of Reed Richards and the gang is marked by ups and considerable downs, with the mid-2000s Fantastic Four incarnations considered somewhat of a mixed bag, and Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four (2015) seen by many as a black mark on the property’s history. Fans have therefore been patiently awaiting an MCU incarnation that would do the Fantastic Four justice, a dream brought closer to reality when the project was officially announced by Kevin Feige in 2019.
Feige made clear that there was a Fantastic Four film in development which would be set in the MCU, although no further details were released until 2020, when MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts was announced as helming the project. However, Watts eventually stepped down from the project in April of this year, citing a desire to move away from the superhero genre. Since then, there has been no announcement of a new director, or even a cast list - even though John Krasinski cameoed as Doctor Strange 2's Mr. Fantastic, there's been no confirmation that his alternate-universe version will be carried forward on Earth-616.
Interestingly enough, the ongoing search for an MCU Fantastic Four director is actually quite closely linked to the latest Doctor Strange picture. According to Deadline reporter Justin Kroll, there is a long list of candidates, which reportedly includes some big names, that Feige and his team aren’t close to whittling down yet. Kroll quotes an anonymous source close to the film and says that the reason for the delay is that the Marvel Studios head doesn’t want to “oversee the entire shoot” and is looking for a director like Multiverse of Madness’ Sam Raimi, as the veteran director didn’t need to be micromanaged throughout production. Check out Kroll's tweets below:
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If Feige & Co. are looking for an experienced director like Raimi, then it might be useful turning to directors they have used previously, such as Jon Favreau, James Gunn, or the Russo brothers. However they might also look to other Disney properties, such as Obi Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow. Given the warm reception the show has received so far, she could bring an interesting, fresh voice to the project, a move typical of the MCU’s tendency to bring in upcoming talent. What they might do in the end is bring in a director comfortable with blockbusters who hasn’t touched any of the modern Disney properties, such as Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol's Brad Bird - who basically directed a perfect Fantastic Four movie already with Pixar's The Incredibles.
While it is entertaining to speculate, any real news about the MCU Fantastic Four movie director is not going to come soon. Given the supposedly long list of candidates and the lengthy negotiation process that would inevitably precede a contract, fans might not get an idea of who will be bringing the First Family to life until the end of the year. This might also mean that any confirmation of Krasinski’s Fantastic Four return is even further away, giving the fans plenty of time to debate whether he should stay on as Reed Richards.
Source: Justin Kroll/Twitter
