WandaVision director Matt Shakman might be making a return trip to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A new rumor claims that Shakman will direct the newest cinematic outing of the Fantastic Four, which will start Phase Six of the MCU.
According to The Direct, Shakman has signed on with Marvel Studios to oversee the FF's entry into the franchise, replacing originally intended director Jon Watts. Marvel has yet to confirm Shakman's involvement with the reboot, however.
Jon Watts helming the Fantastic Four reboot was first announced back in 2020 during Disney's Investor Day, though he later withdrew from the project, saying he "[needed] a break from the superhero realm" after directing the MCU Spider-Man movies. "Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life-changing experience for me," noted Watts. "I'm eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I'm hopeful we'll work together again, and I can't wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life."
Marvel Studios President and Marvel CCO Kevin Feige similarly discussed Watts leaving the reboot, remarking, "We were looking forward to continuing our work with [Watts] to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road."
Feige would later talk about the upcoming project itself, hinting that it won't tell the Fantastic Four's origin again. "A lot of people know [the Fantastic Four's] origin story," Feige said. "A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they've never seen before? We've set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen." Beyond Feige's words, no other plot details for the movie have been revealed as of yet.
No news about casting for the film has been made public as of this writing, though MCU newcomer John Krasinski, who played Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, recently played coy about a potential return to the role. "Seriously, what have you heard?" the actor asked Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show when the host inquired about Krasinski's future MCU involvement. "I need to know ... They don't tell you anything." It's also been rumored that Jason Segel will play The Thing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, though Marvel Studios has yet to confirm this.
Fantastic Four is currently set to arrive in theaters on Nov. 8, 2024.
Source: The Direct