The topic “New Fantastic Four Movie Director Addresses Marvel’s Recent Troubles” has two versions, a written version, and a video version below the written version.
Director Matt Shakman, who directs the Fantastic Four movie, recently shared his insights on how to get a movie right, even when facing behind-the-scenes setbacks and troubles at Marvel Studios.
Marvel Studios has a specific way of doing things, and while some of their techniques work flawlessly (such as in Avengers: Infinity War), other times, the response to their output is not what they expected (like in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania).
Currently, Marvel Studios is facing VFX houses in revolt, a creative overhaul of its TV division, and multiple strike-imposed delays. It seems that Marvel has a lot of issues on their plate to deal with. Matt Shakman, however, is keeping his head held high.
Matt Shakman on Recent Marvel Difficulties
During an interview with The Discourse Podcast (via The Playlist), Matt Shakman, the director of WandaVision as well as Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, was asked about the recent internal turmoil at Marvel. In response, Shakman denied any impact on the upcoming Fantastic Four due to these troubles:
“It hasn’t. I mean, we’ve been on our process consistently. I’ve been on the project for a little over a year and working away hard at it the way we’d work on any film at Marvel, and certainly, the way we worked on ‘WandaVision…’
The director explained Marvel’s project thought process, emphasizing the importance of questions like “Why are we telling this story?:”
“What is the story we want to tell? What is the theme of the story? Why are we telling this story? And just developing then the best possible version of that story, and how do we want to bring these characters to life? So, you know, in terms of outside influence or conversations, it hasn’t really been a factor. It’s always high stakes. You always have to get it right.”
Shakman confirmed that the Fantastic Four movie won’t simply adapt one of the team’s comic book storylines for the movie screen. Instead, the film will aim to tell a story that “feels true to us as people:”
“The idea that I’ve loved so much about Marvel is that we’re not just going to take a run that exists and translate it to film. We’re going to do what every great run has done, which is stand on the shoulders of what came before, but then think about how we as artists living in this moment, processing what we’re all processing, what story do we want to tell right now that feels true to us as people? And that is informed, though, by everything that’s come before.”
During the pre-production phase of Fantastic Four, the director, Matt Shakman, has been keeping the renowned comic writer Matt Fraction informed about his progress. Fraction is famous for his work on the Hawkeye comic book, but he has also written for Fantastic Four in the past. Shakman praised Fraction as a brilliant writer:
“Yeah, I can absolutely talk to Matt about it,” he continued. “Yeah, he’s great. He’s brilliant. And, you know, he’s a big part of the Marvel family over there in terms of Hawkeye, for sure, as well as, you know, he’s worked on several of the films too. I think he worked on Thor. And yeah, he’s a brilliant guy.”
Will Shakman’s Fantastic Four Be Worth the Wait?
The development of the Fantastic Four film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a long and winding road, much like Reed Richard’s stretchable arms. However, it seems that the movie is finally set to kick off production in the Spring of 2024, provided the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved by then.
The good news is that many of the main characters already have actors confirmed to play them, and the announcement is just waiting for the strike to end. The movie could take place in either the 1960s or the present day, but the fact that Marvel’s First Family will finally share the same fictional space as heroes like Captain America and Doctor Strange is sure to excite fans.
It’s a relief that director Matt Shakman appears to be giving the necessary care and attention to make Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben’s first MCU adventure the best it can be. Fans can look forward to Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four hitting theaters on May 2, 2025.
