The Fantastic Four are no strangers to appearing on the big screen. The first time we saw them in a live-action adaptation was over 20 years ago, in 2005, but their very first film was unfortunately met with mixed reviews. A reboot came our way just a decade later in 2015, although it had an even worse critical reception than its predecessor. Fortunately, the bad streak was finally broken with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Marvel's First Family ventured into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with an overwhelmingly positive reception. Granted, the film did not break box office records, but for the first time in cinematic history, fans were pleased with the portrayal of these iconic characters and the story surrounding them. Director Matt Shakman was able to craft a high-stakes narrative set in a beautifully realized retro-futuristic world. Due to that, everyone is eager to see more of this iconic team, and that day is nearly here.
Marvel's First Family is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, next to the likes of the X-Men, the New Avengers, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes. But if that wasn't enough, it has been reported that Marvel is actively working on a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it may be released as soon as 2028. However, the highly anticipated project could start production without one of its biggest pieces.
Matt Shakman will reportedly not direct The Fantastic Four: First Steps sequel
During a new episode of The Hot Mic podcast, insider Jeff Sneider revealed that The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman will not be back to direct the sequel.
"So I know I previously said that I had heard Shakman was going to be back for Fantastic Four 2. I'm now hearing that he will not. That is why he is doing Planet of the Apes."
According to a report by Deadline, a new Planet of the Apes reboot movie is in the works at Disney, with Matt Shakman set to direct and Josh Friedman returning to writing duties after penning the script for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Since Matt is at the helm of a new chapter in such a big franchise, it has been theorized that scheduling conflicts are the reason why he won't be working with Marvel soon.
Disney has three untitled MCU films slated to be released in 2028. While no official names have been dropped yet, it has been reported that these projects could be the X-Men solo movie, a new Black Panther adventure, and the sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. If that were to be the case, Marvel would also need to announce the latter's new director soon, ahead of filming.
The sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps was always going to be very different from the first installment in the franchise. After all, it has been reported that the MCU will undergo a soft reboot after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars. One of the biggest changes that we can expect is that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be part of the mainline universe, instead of living in parallel realities. That means the retro-futuristic Earth where Marvel's First Family used to live will not make a return.
Now that the Fantastic Four will start a brand new chapter in their lives, it could be the perfect opportunity for someone else to take on the franchise. After all, it's a similar scenario to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where Destin Daniel Cretton assumed director duties following Jon Watts' departure. Granted, the biggest difference this time around is that scheduling conflicts are seemingly to blame for Matt Shakman's absence.
Now that it has been confirmed that Marvel will have its famous Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con later this year, it would be the perfect opportunity for the studio to give us a glimpse of what's to come and announce the sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps and its director. But, for the time being, it seems that Matt Shakman won't be working on an MCU project anytime soon.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now streaming on Disney+.
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