Fantastic Four Director Confirms When Filming Will Start

Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot is one of the most highly anticipated movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Updates have been locked away in Latveria since the Writers' and Actors' strikes began over the summer, but with the WGA deal now complete and SAG seemingly about to follow suit, the MCU's version of the Fantastic Four may finally be revealed. Speaking in a new interview with Collider, Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman offered a few updates on the film including when production will officially begin. "We are definitely gonna go in front of cameras next year. Probably the spring. [It will shoot in] London. Pinewood."

"It's different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific," the WandaVision director added. "I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."

Ever since The Walt Disney Company completed the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios finally gained the film rights back to the Fantastic Four and X-Men characters. Though no movies starring those characters have been released, several are in development and a few have already appeared. 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought in a variant of the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards played by John Krasinski, who appeared alongside Patrick Stewart as a variant of Charles Xavier. In addition to a Fantastic Four reboot, Marvel Studios is working on a Deadpool 3 and plans for an X-Men centric movie have started comign together. 

Is John Krasinski playing Reed Richards in Fantastic Four?

Despite his appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems unlikely that The Office star John Krasinski will return to play Reed Richards in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Krasinski has been asked about it before and confirmed his appearance in that film was just a cameo. 

"There aren't any discussions at all, the only discussion I had was actually in the second-to-last week of 'Jack Ryan,'" Krasinski told TheWrap last year. "Kevin Feige called and said would you ever fly to L.A. and play in our sandbox for a day? I was honored to do it. I flew right from Budapest when we wrapped and went right to the 'Doctor Strange' set. I'm a big fan of all those characters and that world, so to get to play in that sandbox for one day was a real thrill."

When is the MCU Fantastic Four coming out?

After several delays by Marvel Studios, the new Fantastic Four reboot is scheduled to be released on May 2, 2025.