WandaVision director Matt Shakman in talks for Fantastic Four
The much-hyped reboot of the Marvel heroes is coming in 2024.
Marvel Studios is looking to reunite with WandaVision director Matt Shakman for its upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, which is one of the most anticipated entries in the recently announced Phase Five and Six.
The filmmaker will be well-known to fans for his work on Marvel's first Disney Plus series, which homaged classic sitcoms in an eerie story about Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her android beau Vision (Paul Bettany).
The show was a huge hit and scored a slew of Emmy nominations, including one for Shakman himself in the category of Directing for a Limited Series, so it's not surprising that Marvel is eager to join forces once again.
This will also add fuel to rumours that the Fantastic Four reboot is a period piece – some have speculated it could be set in the 1960s – given Shakman's experience telling stories in the style of that era.
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Fantastic Four will be an origin of sorts for Marvel's First Family, comprised of Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing).
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The characters are yet to be formally introduced to the MCU as their film rights belonged to 20th Century Fox prior to the Fox/Disney merger, which saw Fantastic Four, X-Men and associated characters come back under the Marvel umbrella.
Since then, actor John Krasinski has made a cameo appearance as an alternate universe version of Reed Richards (in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), but it is not yet known if he will continue in the role going forward.
Shakman isn't locked in yet either but talks are progressing to such an extent that he has been forced to drop out of the upcoming Star Trek 4, which is yet to start filming, due to a scheduling clash (via The Hollywood Reporter).
"Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret the timing didn’t align for him to direct our upcoming Star Trek film," said Paramount Pictures in a statement.
"We are grateful for his many contributions, are excited about the creative vision of this next chapter and look forward to bringing it to audiences all around world."
Confirmation of Shakman's involvement in Fantastic Four could come on Disney Plus Day, when the studio is expected to have treats and surprises in store for fans.
Fantastic Four is scheduled for release on Friday 8th November 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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