It’s now been well over four years since Marvel Studios announced it was rebooting the Fantastic Four, bringing Marvel’s First Family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after two failed attempts by Fox to create franchises out of the group. While the film has been in development since then, little has been unveiled about the movie. At one point, Spider-Man: No Way Home helmer Jon Watts was in the director’s chair, only to get replaced by WandaVision director Matt Shakman. Because of the change in creatives, in addition to the importance the movie has to the franchise as a whole, the casting process behind the movie has been moving at a snail’s pace, forcing fans to speculate on which actors they liked to see join the film.
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More importantly, a whole lot of stuff has happened on Earth since the movie was first announced, none of which have been a Fantastic Four casting announcement, so we’ve compiled some of the biggest events that have happened since the film was first announced instead. Keep scrolling to see what’s all happened…
Bob Iger Left Disney
Bob Iger will go down as one of the most storied executives in the history of The Walt Disney Company, being the one to oversee the company’s acquisitions of Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and 20th Century Fox. That’s why it was particularly surprising the chief executive decided to step down from his post at the onset of the pandemic, allowing former Disney Parks boss Bob Chapek to step into his role atop the company.
MTN Dew Pitch Black Returned From the Grave
For years, anytime MTN DEW announced or teased a new flavor, the legions of DEW fiends would hope and pray a Pitch Black revival was in the works. Amazingly enough, the DEW gods answered the prayers earlier this year and brought back the purple nectar for a limited time.
Bob Iger Returned to Disney
Chapek’s tenure atop the Mouse lasted far less than anyone expected, with Disney executives announcing the return of Iger on a random night far after business hours last November.
“We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” Susan Arnold, Chairman of the Board, said in a statement distributed by the company at the time. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.”
The Grimace Shake Captivated Millions
This summer, Grimace turned 52 and McDonald’s held a months-long celebration in his hour. Surprising everyone on this planet, the fast-food mascot became a viral sensation after a TikTok trend injected horror vibes into the character. That trend, according to McDonald’s executives, was responsible for a serious spike in sales.
Blade Got Delayed 100* Times
Okay, maybe Blade didn’t get delayed 100 times—but it has gotten delayed a whole bunch. The movie was initially set to debut on November 3rd of this year but ran into issues with the filmmakers behind the project. After rumored major rewrites and scheduling issues caused Bassam Tariq to leave the film, it was then delayed nearly a full year to September 6, 2024. Now a new writer (Michael Starrbury) and director (Yann Demange) have boarded the project, and Marvel Studios has given it a new date of February 14, 2025.
With two major strikes underway in Hollywood and no work being done of the film, it’s possible the film hasn’t seen the last of its delays either. In fact, we may actually get a cast for Fantastic Four before we see Marvel’s take on Blade.
David Zaslav Cancelled Lots of Projects
First, it was Batgirl; then it was a direct sequel to Scoob!. Since the Fantastic Four reboot was first announced by Marvel Studios, David Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery either cancelled already-completed projects or removed stuff from HBO Max so as to get a little help from the accountants when it came to tax time. Warner Bros.
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement last year. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
A Big Ol’ Boat Got Stuck in the Suez Canal
The pandemic placed quite a strain on all things logistics, with shipping delays and product availability issues becoming the norm in the new age. That’s why it was a pretty big deal when the Ever Given, a Big Ol’ Boat, got lodged in the Suez Canal. The canal is one of the busiest canals on the face of the planet, and it found itself shut down for days in 2021.
James Gunn Made a Movie Studio
Not only did James Gunn film and release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 entirely since Fantastic Four was first announced, but he also formed a new studio to compete with Marvel Studios. Late last year, it was revealed Gunn would be running the newly-formed DC Studios alongside long-time collaborator Peter Safran.
Since that announcement, Gunn and Safran both announced the studio’s first projects and also cast David Corenswet as the franchise’s new Superman.
It Was (Maybe) Revealed Aliens Are Real
In the four years since Marvel Studios revealed it was rebooting the Fantastic Four, focus on UFOs and UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) has increased dramatically. It’s even gotten to the point where a former member of the United States Intelligence Community came forward and said the government may have “non-human biologics” in its possession.
Elon Musk Bought (and Killed) Twitter
Twitter is no more. From the ashes of Twitter rose X, a new social platform that is just a shell of what it once was. Advertisers have left The Network Formerly Known as Twitter en masse, and Musk himself has said it’s been close to being tucked into its deathbed on more than one occasion. The Tesla and SpaceX mogul paid a staggering $45 billion for the service.
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Fantastic Four is currently set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025—except it needs a cast first.
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