Marvel Studios is going through its most challenging period since the studio was founded in 2008. While in the early years everything was perfect; critics praised their movies, and the box office made it clear that a new major fandom was emerging, this has changed considerably in recent times. Yes, their movies still make a lot of money, but the quality has declined significantly, and the studio is in the midst of a creative crisis.
There are only two well-known IPs that, in theory, can fix this situation: the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Since Disney absorbed Fox, we have been waiting to see what will happen with them. But while the X-Men seem to still take some time to arrive, there is already a planned movie, a director, and several actors seemingly chosen for the Fantastic Four (although not officially confirmed yet).
When will the cast of the Fantastic Four be confirmed?
Certainly, after the failure of Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four, directing a film about this team seems quite challenging, especially considering it needs to fit into an already established universe like Marvel Studios’. However, director Matt Shakman, who has also been involved with Wandavision, is determined to give his all to do it right. These were his words on The Discourse podcast:
“It’s not just about the Fantastic Four. Yes, I love that comic. I certainly let them know that I love that comic. I think John Watts was involved for a while, and he would have done a fantastic job, but he left, and I was excited to be able to take over directing the movie instead. I’m excited that people are as passionate about these characters as I am. The fact that there’s so much debate I love. I’ve been thinking about who should play these characters even before I got the job to direct the film, and I understand why everyone would think the same way. Chemistry is very important… It’s Marvel‘s first family. I have to get it right. I have to get that chemistry right. [The casting announcement] won’t be immediately after the SAG strike gets resolved, but we’ll be able to share some news at some point. And I hope people are as excited about the cast as I am.”
Beyond the casting, Shakman has spoken about the situation at Marvel Studios and remains optimistic about his future with the Disney company:
“I’ve been on the project for a little over a year and working hard on it in the same way we work on any Marvel movie, and certainly, in the same way we worked on WandaVision, which starts with, what is the story we want to tell? What is the theme of the story? Why are we telling this story? And then developing the best possible version of that story and how we want to bring these characters to life. So, in terms of external influence or conversations, it hasn’t really been a factor. There’s always a lot at stake. You always have to get it right.”
