‘Ant-Man’ Director Peyton Reed Comments on MCU Fantastic Four

With Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox’s Marvel assets becoming more official by the moment, their potential to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe becomes evident, causing Ant-Man director Peyton Reed to regularly express interest in working with the characters. His passion for the characters has already inspired multiple apporaches he’d like to take with the characters, yet doesn’t want to get his hopes up as he doesn’t know what could ultimately transpire between the two companies.

“Well, listen: as a fan, I certainly find that intriguing, because in the comics realm, the Fantastic Four are the crown jewels of the Marvel Universe,” Reed shared with ComicBook.com. “They are the first family of Marvel. I think there is a version of Fantastic Four that has yet to be rendered in the movies that would really, really excite me, and I certainly think there are at least six different ways to introduce Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a really satisfying way.”

Following the success of 2000’s X-Men and 2002’s Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four made their way to the big screen in 2005 with a rather disappointing outing. The film felt more like the campier entries in the Batman franchise, with many audiences feeling like the film and its sequel did the iconic team a disservice.

In 2015, another attempt at doing the characters justice debuted, with well-reported studio conflicts ultimately delivering what many consider to be the worst superhero film of the decade.

Understandably, MCU filmmakers would rather focus on compelling stories than cash in on a famous property, with Reed understanding just how long it could take before a Fantastic Four project ever comes to fruition.

“I haven’t really thought about it that much, honestly, because who knows about these mergers?” Reed admitted. “I really, as a human being, I don’t know how long these types of mergers take, and when that stuff is practical, so I’ve really been just focused on the Ant-Man stuff — but I love the idea.”

Despite being considered a defining Marvel superhero team, the characters have never had it easy in live-action adaptations. Long before the Fantastic Four film hit theaters in 2005, a film was made in the early ’90s for an incredibly small budget, which ultimately never earned an official release. However, with the film having technically been made, Constantin Film Productions were able to retain the rights in perpetuity, until Marvel bought the rights to the characters back.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019.

Additional reporting by Scott Huver.

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