Director Matt Shakman has opened up about his upcoming Marvel superhero film, Fantastic Four.
Speaking to Collider, Shakman – who previously helmed the WandaVision series for Disney+, episodes of Succession, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Game Of Thrones, The Boys and more – shared that while he can’t reveal much about Fantastic Four, he guarantees that the film will be “unlike” previous Marvel movies.
Shakman also said that while the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike against Hollywood studios have yet to come to an end, Marvel is hopeful that a settlement will be reached sooner rather than later, and that they aim to begin filming “probably” in Spring next year in London.
Speaking on how Fantastic Four will differ from previous Marvel films, Shakman said: “It’s different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material.”
He continued: “I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can’t. But I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you’ve seen before.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Shakman confirmed that he has the film’s casting locked in, but he can’t reveal anything about the project until the ongoing actors’ strike comes to an end. When asked when a cast announcement can be expected, Shakman said: “Like I said, we’re in the middle of a SAG strike, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they get a great deal really soon and we can go back. Then, once that’s resolved, there’ll be a plan at that point, but I can’t say too much.”
Fantastic Four is scheduled to be released on May 2, 2025.
The Marvels will be the next entry in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which kicked off earlier this year with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and continued with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Marvels is set for release on November 10 in cinemas across the globe.
Prior to The Marvels, the latest MCU entry was May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film scored a three-star review from NME‘s Olly Richards, who wrote: “This is definitely one film made for the fans. If you’ve been paying close enough attention to clearly remember Peter’s last minutes on Earth, why Gamora is here despite dying in Avengers: Endgame, and when a talking dog joined the group, you will probably get more from this than the casual fan. The less dedicated viewer should be reasonably entertained, although maybe wish for the days when the laughs outnumbered the tears.”
