Ever since the film rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men were transferred to Marvel Studios following Disney’s acquiring Fox, Marvel Cinematic Universe have been waiting for both teams to be introduced to the superhero franchise. While plans for the X-Men are still being kept secret, the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot is nicely slotted in the Phase 6 lineup. However, there’s been a behind-the-scenes shakeup, with some talent from Avatar coming aboard to help put this project together.
Josh Friedman, who helped create the stories for Avatar: The Way of Water and the upcoming Avatar 3, and is also working on the Avatar 4 and 5 screenplays, has signed on as Fantastic Four’s new writer. He replaces Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer (who were hired last September), and THR noted that Friedman’s recruitment “signals a potential change in tone.” While Kaplan and Springer are chiefly known for comedy, Friedman is well-versed in sci-fi, because along with the Avatar sequels, his credits include movies like Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Terminator: Dark Fate and next year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and TV shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Foundation, the latter of which is retuning for a second season and can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Although the Fantastic Four are unquestionably a superhero team, they also rest nicely in the sci-fi realm, as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm frequently travel to other corners of the universe and explore other dimensions, like the Negative Zone. While it’s unclear if Josh Friedman will start from scratch with his Fantastic Four script or utilize some elements from what Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer came up with, his involvement could signal that the reboot will have more of a sci-fi bent, at least by MCU standards. Instead of simply watching Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch defend Earth from yet another threat, perhaps something will require them to leave our planet and venture into an unexplored cosmic corner of this franchise.
One thing that can be definitely said about Fantastic Four’s story right now is that it will not focus on their origins, although that’s not to say this couldn’t be touched upon in flashbacks or the opening credits. WandaVision’s Matt Shakman is directing Fantastic Four, and while we still await news on who will play the quartet, it was reported in February that it’s believed that Sue Storm will be cast first, and then the rest of the team will be built out. John Krasinski appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Earth-838’s Mister Fantastic, but he’s not expected to return as the main MCU continuity’s version of the stretchy superhero.
Fantastic Four will premiere in theaters on February 14, 2025, but if you’d like to revisit the team’s previous movies, they can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. Otherwise, keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on the reboot and other upcoming Marvel movies.
