It’s no secret that there are far more Marvel movies than even a Multiverse can handle. But with Kevin Feige and co in the midst of planning out a decade’s worth of stories for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, things are showing no sign of slowing down. One of the films coming down the pipe is a reboot of Fantastic Four.
If you’re keen for another adventure with the awesome foursome (sorry), here’s what we know about the Marvel Studios edition.
Who are the Fantastic Four?
The Fantastic Four is a team of superheroes who received their unusual superpowers from cosmic rays in a mission to space gone wrong. From there the team learn to handle their new abilities and become a dysfunctional family of sorts.
The four members include Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic, a scientific genius who is given the powers of elongation that can stretch his limbs to extreme lengths.
Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, has the power to become invisible (obviously) and in later stories also gained the ability to create force fields. She is in a relationship with Mr Fantastic.
Johnny Storm becomes the Human Torch when he gains infernal flame powers from the cosmic rays that allow him to control and project fire as well as fly. Johnny is Sue’s younger brother.
Rounding out the list is Ben Grimm, Reed Richards’ roommate who becomes known as The Thing. His powers grant him superhuman strength and durability but come with the trade-off of turning him into a monstrous rock-coated humanoid.
Similar to the Hulk, he has some anger issues related to his appearance, and unlike the other heroes, he can’t turn his powers off so is stuck in his human-rock form forever.
Is Marvel’s new Fantastic Four a reboot?
There have been three Fantastic Four movies since 2005, with one being a complete reboot.
Now that Marvel Studios has its hands on the F4 IP thanks to the Fox merger, we’re looking down the barrel of yet another reboot.
Kevin Feige announced a new Fantastic Four film was in the works at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. It’s had a few years in the development pipeline, but we still don’t know a whole lot about the new movie.
Who is involved?
Big spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ahead
On Disney Investor Day in 2020, it was announced that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts was on board to direct the new Fantastic Four film.
In 2022, that all changed when Watts announced he was leaving the project, citing that he needed a break from the world of superheroes after making three Spider-Man films.
That means Marvel Studios is on the hunt for a new director, as well as a stellar cast to fill out the fantastic lineup.
A popular fan casting is for husband-and-wife acting team John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to take on the roles of Reed Richard and Sue Storm, but nothing has been confirmed.
However, (spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Krasinski did appear in a surprise cameo as Reed Richards in the 838 Universe.
Let’s just say we won’t be seeing that variant of Richards again, but it does leave the door open for Krasinski to return as Richards. It also allows a new actor to take his place as Mr Fantastic should Marvel want to go in a different direction, seeing as Krasinski was only a variant of the character.
Where can you watch all the Fantastic Four films?
Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot doesn’t have a release date, so in the meantime, you might want to watch the other film iterations of the superhero team instead.
You can find Fantastic Four (2005), its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the Josh Trank reboot Fantastic Four (2015) all streaming on Disney+ in Australia.
If you’re wondering what Marvel movie is next up while you wait, here’s a guide to everything on the MCU slate.
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