When it was first announced that Spider-Man director Jon Watts would be sticking with the Marvel Cinematic Universe to helm a Fantastic Four reboot, fans understandably got their hopes up that the movie would be with us before the end of 2023.
That was a fairly reasonable deduction to make at the time, when it was the only undated Phase Four project that had a filmmaker and logo in place. However, Watts then saw his buzzy crime thriller with Brad Pitt and George Clooney spark a frenzied bidding war that was eventually won by Apple, which may have set Fantastic Four back a little.
On top of that, it’s been leapfrogged in the pecking order by Blade, which now has a director, writer, star and the makings of a supporting cast. So far, Mahershala Ali’s Daywalker, Marvel’s First Family, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America feature and Deadpool 3 are the four films on the way that don’t have release dates locked in, but even those familiar with Fantastic Four are completely in the dark.
In the latest issue of D23 Magazine via The Direct, comic book writer Dan Slott admitted that when it comes to Watts’ new spin on the iconic team; “I have no knowledge of anything, and if I did I wouldn’t say anything”, which isn’t exactly the update fans were hoping to hear.