After Spider-Man: No Way Home filmmaker Jon Watts left the production, it appears that Marvel has chosen a replacement director for their upcoming Fantastic Four film. Matt Shakman of WandaVision is interested in taking over as director, as Marvel has been looking for a replacement for Watt.
According to Deadline, Shakman is in early talks to helm Marvel’s new Fantastic Four film, which is likewise not expected to feature an origin narrative. According to the report’s sources, while no formal offer has been made, “early negotiations have begun and things are moving in the right direction.”
Much like the Fantastic Four were at the heart of the Marvel Universe’s inception in 1961, WandaVision not only successfully started Marvel’s limited series plan for Disney+, but it also won several Emmy nominations, including one for Best Director for Shakman.
Shakman began his career as a kid actor in the Growing Pains spin-off television series Just the Ten of Us, playing “J.R.” Lubbock, Jr. Succession, The Boys, Mad Men, Six Feet Under, The Great, House M.D., Fargo, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are among his directing credits. Shakman is also set to direct a Star Trek picture in the near future.
Fantastic Four has been a widely awaited MCU property since Disney acquired Fox and incorporated all of its assets in late 2017. Marvel’s first family was teased at the end of Marvel’s Comic-Con presentation in 2019, along with the return of Blade and the arrival of the Eternals. The MCU’s Phase 5 will begin with Wakanda Forever in November, and Fantastic Four will be part of Phase 6.
At this year’s presentation, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated that the film would start off the MCU’s Phase 6, with a November 8, 2024 release date.
