Veteran TV director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) is in talks to direct Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four movie, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The film will be the start of Phase 6, which will lead into the two-parter Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
The hunt for someone to direct Fantastic Four is still ongoing. The film was announced in 2020, and the plan was to have Jon Watts, the director of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy, take the reins. He departed from the project earlier this year. Michael Matthews (Love and Monsters) and Reid Carolin (Dog) also were in talks to be the replacement, along with Matt Shakman. According to the report, Matthews and the WandaVision director are the two runner-ups, so one of them will likely take the job.
Matt Shakman already has his credit with Marvel due to WandaVision, but he had long-standing career before his Emmy-nominated Marvel series, which kicked off the MCU on Disney Plus. He is known for It’s Always Sunny Philadelphia but has also directed episodes of Game of Thrones, The Great, The Boys, and The Good Wife.
Matt Shakman is in the final running to direct the Fantastic Four movie
Although we have a date for Fantastic Four (November 8, 2024), we have scarce details on the film. Kevin Feige did confirm it would not be an origin story. Marvel has proven to do something different if a hero or group of heroes have had films made before, similarly to Spider-Man debuting in Civil War rather than having a traditional origin story.
Marvel fans recently got the first taste of the Fantastic Four with Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As fans have dreamed of John Krasinski in the role, he made an appearance as a variant of the character. This does not confirm if he will be the main timeline’s Reed Richards. No other members of the team appeared in the film.
