Urban explorers have been known to come across all sorts of things. Many famous ones have stumbled upon abandoned Disney Theme Park rides or something creepy that they’ve shared on the internet. But I think this may be the first time someone has found a film set. Apparently, two unnamed explorers claimed to find big set pieces from the upcoming Marvel movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps in an underground mine in England.
According to the Daily Mail, two explorer friends entered the Middleton mine in Derbyshire Dales, England where they plunged over 1,000 feet down through a system of tunnels. They alleged that the mine entrance is usually closed, but on this day it was open, which allowed the explorers easy access to the tunnel system. When they got in pretty deep, they found a big blue and white retro bus, stage, lift, caravan, and lighting pan. They also found a map of where the lights were intended to go, and pipes that looked like were put in to purify the air. All these elements pointed at this set up being for a film.
The two claim that someone they know who worked on Fantastic Four: First Steps said that the bus and equipment were abandoned by the movie's production, a highly anticipated film set to release this summer. It will be the first Fantastic Four film set in the MCU, as Disney acquired the characters when it merged with 20th Century Fox. This report admittedly feels strange, as this would be a pretty long way to go for a singular scene, especially for a Marvel movie that could easily build a mine tunnel set that would likely be much safer. Additionally, set pieces are typically stored or dismantled under strict security, especially for a project as high-profile as Fantastic Four.
However, the pictures published do suggest something was filmed in the tunnels, and it would probably take a pretty big budget to get a retro bus all the way down there. Also, these tunnels were reportedly used by the upcoming Mission: Impossible movie to shoot a scene with Tom Cruise. The explorers also were told that some scenes for Lord of the Rings were shot there as well. This mine having a history of being used for the big screen does give the Fantastic Four theory legitimacy, but it still doesn’t explain why so much set was abandoned down there in the first place.
We’ll know for sure if this is in fact the Fantastic Four set when the movie releases this July. It’ll be hard not to recognize a massive blue and white bus, and then maybe we’ll get some answers as to if the set pieces were ever retrieved. Disney has allegedly left things abandoned before, but abandoning parts of this set, especially when Marvel projects are so closely guarded, feels counterintuitive... especially when curious explorers could stumble in and take photos at any moment. Hopefully people who may recognize this come forward, and we can finally get to the bottom of this.
If the explorers’ claims are true, then Marvel’s knack for blending cinematic spectacle with real-world locations might have just given fans an unforgettable sneak peek at what’s to come, and it looks exciting. Fans can check out Fantastic Four: First Steps when it hits theaters on July 25, 2025. For more information on other buzzy projects heading to the big screen this year, make sure to consult our 2025 movie release schedule.
