Prepare to make some changes to your movie-going calendar. Disney has made several changes to the release schedule of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with one of these delays being for Matt Shakman's Fantastic Four film, which will be now debut in theaters on February 14, 2025, instead of its previously announced November 8, 2024. Show
The Fantastic Four film is joined by several other MCU projects having their release dates changed, joining Mahershala Ali’s Blade which will see the iconic vampire hunter making his debut appearance in the superhero film franchise, the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-starring MCU debut of the Merc with the Mouth Deadpool 3, and the Multiverse Saga conclusion, Avengers: Secret Wars. This will mark the third theatrical version of the Fantastic Four, with the previous two outings including a duo of films starring Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm aka The Thing, and Chris Evans as Johnny Storm aka Human Torch that released in 2005 and 2007. Another film was made with a new cast in 2015 that was poorly received by critics, and starred Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell. Marvel is not the only superhero brand that has seen some changes in its content slate as its perpetual rival DC also saw big changes when it came to its own cape-wearing film franchises. It was announced in late August that Shazam: Fury of the Gods, which stars Zachary Levi as the titular hero will now hit theaters on March 17, 2023, pushing the sequel to the 2019 film back four months from its original holiday season release date of December 21, 2022. This was done to fill the release date of the also delayed sequel to 2018's Aquaman, James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which was moved from its March 17 release to Christmas Day, December 25, 2023. There was also the heavily controversial cancellation of Batgirlstarring Leslie Grace. While we might be a few years away from the superhero team's newest film iteration, we do know some of the names attached to the project. The previously mentioned Matt Shakman, who served as the director on Disney+'s WandaVision, will be taking the reins of the film as its director after Jon Watts, who recently directed the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, left the project. Also attached to write the film are Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. MCU’s supervisor Kevin Feige will serve as a producer on the film. While John Krasinski played the role of Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earlier this year, word of if he will be returning to the role as well as the additional casting of the titular team has yet to be announced. Fantastic Four is now set to premiere on February 14, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future news and updates about the MCU. You can check out the official trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below. Fantastic Four has been confirmed for a November 2024 release and while we still don't know who will be playing the superhero team, we have had one exciting behind-the-scenes update. During Marvel's huge D23 Expo presentation in September 2022, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Matt Shakman, who worked on WandaVision, will direct the new movie. Originally, Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts had been set to direct Fantastic Four but dropped out in April 2022. The confirmation of Shakman was followed later in the month by the announcement that the movie would be written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. It marks the first movie for the duo, who have sold multiple spec scripts. So as we wait to find out announcements for in front of the camera, here's everything you need to know about Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four release date: When will Fantastic 4 be released?Kevin Feige confirmed at Comic-Con 2022 that Fantastic Four will be released in cinemas on November 8, 2024. Marvel Studios Originally, we thought that would make it the first movie of Marvel's Phase 6, but now it seems that Deadpool 3 has taken that honour as it'll be released on September 6, 2024. It's possible that threequel could get shifted to the final outing of Phase 5. We still don't know when the movie will start filming and, as ever, there is always the chance that release dates could shift. Fantastic Four cast: Who's going to be in Fantastic 4?Let's start with what you're all thinking... does John Krasinski's appearance as Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) in Doctor Strange 2 confirm his casting for the movie? Well, officially, Krasinski hasn't been cast as Reed Richards, but we'd be surprised if he wasn't. It might have just been a case of fan service, yet for the majority of characters we've seen in the multiverse, they've been played by the same actor. Marvel Studios For instance, every version of Doctor Strange in
the sequel was played by Benedict Cumberbatch. A major caveat is that in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield played their universe's Peter Parker – and neither of them look like Tom Holland. We'll just have to watch this space, and the same goes for the rest of the Fantastic Four main cast. It had been thought that the cast would be confirmed at the D23 Expo in September 2022, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Assuming the MCU doesn't go wild and veer away from the traditional team, we'll be seeing Sue Storm (aka Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) in the movie, alongside their long-time nemesis Victor Von Doom (aka Doctor Doom). Fans have long thought that Emily Blunt should play Sue Storm, but she had previously poured cold water on the rumours. "I don't know if superhero movies are for me. They're not up my alley. I don't like them. I really don't," she said in May 2021. "It's been exhausted. We are inundated – it's not only all the movies, it's the endless TV shows as well. It's not to say that I'd never want to play [a superhero]. It would just have to be something so cool and a really cool character, and then I'd be interested." This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Perhaps starring alongside Krasinski would fit as something "so cool", but we'll have to wait and see. Nobody else from the Fantastic Four team appeared in Doctor Strange 2, so we'd just be plucking names out of thin air right now. Hopefully, we don't have too much longer to wait to find out, especially if future cameos are planned. As we mentioned above, Matt Shakman will now direct the movie following the departure of Jon Watts, while it will be written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. Fantastic Four plot: What will Fantastic 4 be about?As with the cast, all options are open for what the MCU reboot of the Fantastic Four will be about, plot-wise. Marvel Comics We've seen the origin story play out on screen a couple of times now, and it seems like the new movie will avoid that story altogether. "A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they've never seen before?" he said. "We've set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen." If they avoid the origin story route as planned, there will need to be some narrative reason as to why we've only just seen them pop up, rather than help out with previous world-ending scenarios in the Avengers movies. Of course, they can avoid that altogether if this Fantastic Four team exist in another universe. Maybe the team just never got together in Earth-616 or, even bleaker, they're all dead in the main universe. Watch this space. Fantastic Four trailer: Any Fantastic 4 footage yet?While Reed Richards has made his MCU debut, the Fantastic Four movie hasn't started filming yet so we'll be waiting a while for any footage. Sorry about that. Fantastic Four will be released in cinemas on November 8, 2024.
Watch the MCU on Disney+ Disney+ Disney+
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry Abrams Books Amazon £93.95
Marvel Studios: The Infinity Saga - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray, region-free]
Marvel x Pandora - Avengers Infinity Stones Ring Marvel/Pandora pandora.net £80.00
Avengers Infinity Gauntlet lapel pin set Marvel veryneko.co.uk £29.99
Marvel Phase 1-3 complete set Blu-ray Marvel Studios Amazon £126.86
Avengers: Endgame 4K Includes Bonus Disk [Blu-ray] [2019] [Region Free] Disney/Marvel Studios Amazon £8.97
Codenames card game - Marvel edition Czech Games veryneko.co.uk £23.99
Marvel superheroes 1000-piece 'Impossible Puzzle' Clementoni amazon.co.uk
Avengers: 1-4 Complete Blu-ray Boxset Includes Bonus Disk [2019] [Region Free] Disney/Marvel Studios Amazon Is there a new Fantastic 4 coming out?Fantastic and the Human Torch are coming to the MCU in 2025. Fantastic Four was revealed to the opening movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 6 during the summer, and Disney revealed on Tuesday that its release date was pushed back to February 2025.
Who will play the Fantastic 4 in the MCU?Hayden Christensen will play the Silver Surfer. Tom Ellis will play Fantastic 4's Reed Richards in the MCU.
Will there be a fantastic 4 with John Krasinski?Many will be disappointed to hear Marvel Studios doesn't see John Krasinski as the future of its Fantastic Four franchise, but at least fans were treated to a taste of that vision in Multiverse of Madness.
Who is being cast as the Fantastic Four?The long-awaited MCU reboot has found its super foursome. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are headed to the big screen... again.
|
