One of the big reasons why Disney bought 20th Century Fox was its large library of content. From The Simpsons to National Geographic (not to mention the heavily sought-after Marvel properties like X-Men and Fantastic Four), Disney realized that buying the studio made sense to expand its catalog and build Disney+. Now, the studio has officially added its first Fox-produced Marvel film to the streaming service, and it's probably not a movie that you're expecting.
Up until now, Disney+ has only showcased Marvel movies under the Marvel Studios banner, but no longer. Disney+ subscribers can now watch Fant4stic, the heavily panned Fantastic Four reboot from director Josh Trank.
You have to wonder why Disney decided to lead off with Fantastic Four, an overwhelmingly gloomy and dark superhero movie that is practically the antithesis to the tone Disney and Marvel have crafted for their superhero films, rather than just bury it somewhere deep inside their vault. After all, it’s far from the only movie the company acquired in the merger. Disney has a decent lineup of Fox/Marvel movies to choose from. I personally think X-Men: First Class would've been a solid choice.
For those unaware, the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding Fant4stic are practically legend at this point. Rumors swirled of irresponsible behavior, including Miles Teller and Josh Trank almost getting into a fist fight. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
While it was in production, 20th Century Fox, at the time, was reportedly unhappy with the movie and performed heavy edits and reshoots in an attempt to salvage the movie. It would appear that this only made matters worse and created a somewhat sloppy and incoherent movie.
Since its release, the minds behind the film have shared their thoughts on it. Writer Jeremy Slater apologized for the movie, though he probably had little to do with the final result, and Josh Trank supplied his own hilarious review and cemented it by noting that “overall there is a movie in there somewhere.”
Then again, it’s not really that big of a deal to have a critically panned film on Disney+. After all, if Netflix is any indicator, movies with poor audience reception don’t necessarily scare people away but actually lure them in like a moth to a flame. Maybe Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot will find a new following that genuinely appreciates the movie.
So what does this mean for Fox/Marvel movies coming to Disney+? Well it’s hard to say at this point. Obviously, putting Fantastic Four on Disney+ is a bit of a surprise, but it could also mean Disney is gearing up to include other Fox/Marvel movies. Here’s hoping we get Logan next as opposed to Daredevil or X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
