I’m going to put my cards on the table, folks: even as someone who’s feeling a certain degree of superhero fatigue, it’s hard not to look forward to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The upcoming Marvel movie reintroduces Marvel's First Family in a story that’s starting to sound like a retrofuturist’s dream come true. So of course, I’m deeply invested in where this goes, as that particular label is one I hold dear.
What we know about the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot has also freshly clued us into the fact that veteran Marvel composer/geek at large Michael Giacchino will be scoring this new project. Thanks to a recent conversation with Giacchino, we have the knowledge of three key influences he’s drawn from for the project’s score; as well as how much has already been recorded.
The Three Influences Michael Giacchino Has Used To Shape Fantastic Four: First Steps Score
Sitting down with the Academy Award-winning composer of scores for pictures like Up, the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek trilogy and the Jurassic World trilogy, is always an absolute honor. This time around, Giacchino was on hand to promote his new vinyl Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen - Volume 1, which can currently be pre-ordered on Amazon in physical media, as well as streamed through major music platforms.
Serving as a greatest hits collection of sorts, the first of the two volume collection reinvents cues from important projects in Michael Giacchino’s career through the lens of the Exotica genre. The exercise is an exciting return to projects of the past, in a sound that must have given Giacchino quite the workout when it came to dreaming up his Fantastic Four: First Steps score.
Speaking with CinemaBlend on the matter, Michael Giacchino revealed his pitch to write the music came from the following combination of influences:
It's funny. I like to describe the score as, ‘It's 'The Right Stuff,' meets Marvel, meets the Disneyland Electric Light Parade.’ That's how I pitched it to them, and they were like, 'Yes. Let's do that.' That was my target, what I wanted those feelings from all those things.
All of you movie music fans out there are probably as excited as I am about what’s being promised in that quick description of that new Fantastic Four sound. But just in case you’re still wondering why this is so exciting, allow me to present the first of two musical examples to help you imagine what’s in play.
For starters, please listen to this suite from Bill Conti’s score to The Right Stuff, which covers quite a bit of ground from the 1983 motion picture’s soundscape:
This initial tentpole for the MCU’s upcoming musical score is a pretty important one. That much is true after taking a look at that Fantastic Four announcement art, which absolutely hits all of the hallmarks Michael Giacchino laid out above. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are all depicted in the ‘60s retro future charm you’d hope to see in such a project.
The Right Stuff suite above recalls those early Space Race days that director Matt Shakman’s movie is going to try and invoke. But, of course, this is going to take place on a parallel Earth where the Fantastic Four are their universe’s only heroes. So some liberties can be taken by Michael Giacchino and all involved. That’s been hammered in for a while now, as the musical accompaniment has been in progress for a surprising amount of time.
Michael Giacchino’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Score Is Further Along Than You’d Think
It’s been quite a wait for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as the film was first announced as one of the titles on Disney’s 2020 slate of upcoming movies and TV shows. While MIchael Giacchino hasn’t been on the project quite that long, he’s been on board long enough to have some music already worked out. Continuing his story about where things currently stand, CinemaBlend learned the following from the Ratatouille maestro:
I knew [Jon Watts] was gonna be on it, and we just talked loosely about it. But it wasn't really solidified until after that. Then Matt [Shakman] came on, and Matt's an incredible person, and he's gonna do a great job. I'm really excited for what he's gonna bring to the table on this.,'cause it's gonna be a breath of fresh air, in a really fun way. I guess it's been over a year maybe ... just sitting around going, 'Yeah, that's in my future. You know, that's in my future. It's coming.' Just waiting and waiting patiently.
That patience is going to be the key to MCU fans toughing out the wait to hear The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ main theme. While we did hear some snippets during Marvel’s Galactus drone show at San Diego Comic Con, the only people that have truly experienced this theme were the ones who were sitting down to that Hall H panel last Saturday.
Which brings us back to just how much of this Fantastic Four delight has been scored and recorded. With a year of time on his hands to work towards the big debut that came with San Diego Comic Con’s big unveiling, this is what Michael Giacchino already has in the can:
…We got to record the main theme. We got to record several other cues for the film and different themes ahead of time. And that's what we used in the teaser, and it's what we used for the Drone show, and all of that stuff. So it was such a fun thing. Leading up to Comic-Con got really fun, 'cause it was just like, 'Oh, this is gonna be fun, 'cause now it's all coming out. And it's not only just coming out, but we're actually gonna play the main theme too as well. So far in advance, a year ahead of the film coming out.' And it's very rare you get to do that.
The world of film music is usually on a pretty short schedule when it comes to making the sounds we’re bound to be humming on our way out of the theater. A case where something like Mr. Giacchino’s work for The Fantastic Four: First Steps allows for this much lead time is extremely seldom, but it can pay off in so many ways if it’s allowed.
Judging by what we heard during that drone show footage, I’d say the payoff is definitely beginning to show. It’s also the way into that other influence that Michael Giacchino cited in his new Marvel score, Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade. Thanks to the clip of that soundtrack provided below, you can begin to piece together just what our new Fantastic Four music might sound like in the MCU:
There’s a lot of mystery that remains surrounding The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and we’ll see more of it unveiled as we get closer to its July 25, 2025 release date. In the meantime, you can stream Michael Giacchino’s Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen - Volume 1, as it’s currently available for your listening pleasure, with the physical release on CD and Vinyl set for September 13th. And of course, if you want to check out the full rundown of upcoming 2025 movies, we’ve got a guide that’s absolutely fantastic to behold.
