Director Matt Shakman says any recent behind-the-scenes drama at Marvel Studios hasn’t impacted the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
Speaking on The Playlist’s The Discourse Podcast, Shakman said some of the recent troubles at Marvel Studios — which include overworked VFX artists, a complete change in approach to the company’s television output, declining box office returns, and more — haven’t altered the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot he’s helming.
“It hasn’t,” Shakman, who also directed WandaVision, confirmed. “I mean, we’ve been on our process consistently. I’ve been on the project for a little over a year and working away hard at it the way we’d work on any film at Marvel, and certainly, the way we worked on WandaVision, which is starting with, you know, what is the story we want to tell? What is the theme of the story? Why are we telling this story? And just developing then the best possible version of that story, and how do we want to bring these characters to life? So, you know, in terms of outside influence or conversations, it hasn’t really been a factor. It’s always high stakes. You always have to get it right.”
Marvel’s Fantastic Four adds a new writer
While numerous rumors have emerged online about who might be playing Marvel’s First Family in the new film, Shakman couldn’t divulge any casting announcements because of the ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike for better wages, protection against artificial intelligence, and more.
He did, however, reveal that WandaVision and Agent Elvis writer Cameron Squires had been brought on to work on a draft of the movie’s screenplay with Josh Friedman, whom Shakman previously worked with on Star Trek 4 before he left the project in August 2022.
“I came on [to Star Trek 4] and worked with Josh Friedman, who I’m working with on Fantastic Four now, and Cam Squires, who I’d worked with on WandaVision, and we worked on a draft together, which was tremendous fun,” Shakman said.
Fantastic Four currently has a May 2, 2025, release date from Marvel Studios.
