Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four Gets a New Pre-Production Update

February 22, 2021

Deadline’s Justin Kroll took to Twitter to share a new update regarding Marvel Studios’ long-awaited Fantastic Four project’s progress, confirming that there is currently no script attached to the Jon Watts-directed film. He also revealed that Marvel Studios had just recently started talking with potential writers.

This new pre-production update comes after circulating reports about Oscar winner and X-Men alum Jennifer Lawrence’s rumored casting as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman.

All I’m gonna say is this, Marvel just started meeting with writers on FANTASTIC FOUR, there is no script and it will be awhile before this film starts shooting

— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) February 21, 2021

Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four was first teased by Kevin Feige during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. Last December, the highly-anticipated project has finally found its director with Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home) officially signing on to direct. Filming for Fantastic Four isn’t likely to begin soon as Watts is currently occupied with the third Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film.

The Fantastic Four Marvel comic book series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby debuted in 1961 and was the first superhero team title produced by Marvel Comics.

Loosely based on Marvel’s “Ultimate Fantastic Four” comic series, the previous Fantastic Four film from 2015 which starred Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan was mired in controversy from the start, including a controversial tweet from director Josh Trank sent the day the film opened, lamenting the quality of the final cut. The film went on to gross just $56 million at the domestic box office with a global total of $167 million. It reportedly cost about $120 million to make.

Previous to this version Tim Story directed two big-budget versions, 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which grossed a combined $619 million worldwide. Roger Corman infamously produced a completed-but-shelved version of The Fantastic Four in 1994 which was never meant to be seen and was only made to secure the rights for a future version, though bootlegs widely exist.