If you thought 20th Century Fox was going to give up on the Fantastic Four, then think again. The studio failed to launch a film franchise with its previous reboots of the Marvel team, but the company isn’t ready to bow out just yet. According to a new report from Bleeding Cool, it looks like Fox is working on yet another Fantastic Four reboot which will be geared towards a younger audience.
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Editor-In-Chief Rich Johnston posted an article earlier today regarding the reported reboot. Bleeding Cool’s sources stress a new Fantastic Four film is in development that doesn’t focus on the Marvel’s team original members. Instead, the feature is set to follow Franklin and Valeria, the two children of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. According to the reports, the Human Torch and the Thing will also appear in the film as the kid-friendly film follows its young leads.
Tonally, it appears as if the reboot is meant to feel similar to The Incredibles. The aesthetic shift will completely separate the new Fantastic Four film from its predecessors; Fox’s most recent take on the heroic family was panned for being too dark while its early-2000s take failed to impress fans with its narrative.
Bleeding Cool is currently reporting that Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the current draft of the Fantastic Four reboot. The writer worked on the previous Fantastic Four film as he helped polish Josh Trank’s original script. The writer has also worked with Marvel on publications like The Spider-Man Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual and the Hulk-centric issue of Marvel Zombies Return.
Fans may be surprised about this report reboot if not a bit wary as well. Fox hasn’t managed to nail down the iconic superhero team yet, and its past failings have only soured fans. Still, the studio has said it was interested in giving the series another go following its last bomb. Executive producer Simon Kinberg said the studio would love to make another movie about the family.
“Yes, we would love to make another Fantastic Four movie,” Kinberg stressed. “We feel like there’s a great Fantastic Four movie to be made and I think it would hue closer to the tone of the original, the source material, the comics, but we want to make that movie.”
For now, there is no official word from either Marvel or Fox about the reported reboot. In the past, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed the MCU has no plans for the Fantastic Four at present. Fans have long hoped Marvel and Fox would create an agreement which loans the former the Fantastic Four but no such luck as happened. Recently, Marvel was able to secure a deal with Sony Pictures that allowed for the cross-handling of Spider-Man. So, if this Fantastic Four reboot does become a reality that bombs, then Fox may be more open to talks with Marvel Studios about making a deal.
