Matt Shakman Officially Set to Direct Fantastic Four!
The MCU recently had phase 5 and phase 6 revealed, with a slew of new films and shows set to release. Among them was The Fantastic Four! Now The Fantastic 4 officially has a director in Matt Shakman!
Matt Shakman is not new to directing in the MCU as his biggest claim to fame is with the Disney+ hit series Wandavision! Now Shakman will attempt to tackle the classic tale of the superhero family The Fantastic Four, an endeavor that has proved particularly difficult with two failed past film series.
The Fantastic Four follows the tale of four individuals bound by family and destiny. Marvel’s greatest mind Reed Richards along with wife Sue Storm, brother-in-law Johnny Storm, and best friend Ben Grimm suffer exposure to cosmic rays during a failed experimental flight in space.
The exposure results in the four gaining unique powers, Mr. Fantastic gains an insanely malleable body, The Invisible Woman can turn invisible and create force fields, Human Torch gains incredible heat-based powers and The Thing acquires superhuman strength and a durable rocky exterior.
Before Fast and The Furious popularized and memefied the idea of family in a group, it was the Fantastic 4’s tight-knit group that attracted audiences to them. Always placing each other and their family above any threats on Earth or in space.
Matt Shakman now takes the daunting task of bringing the Fantastic Four to film form, after two previous failed film releases. First, in 2005, directed by Tim Story, the film failed to capture the attention of audiences and was heavily criticized for poor storytelling yet the film still spawned a sequel.
The next Fantastic Four film would arrive in 2015 to an even worse reception than the prior film. An overly convoluted plot and dreary atmosphere hampered the film despite it having several stellar actors including Miles Teller and future Erik Killmonger actor Michael B. Jordan.
Now Matt Shakman and Kevin Feige must derive a way to fix the image of live-action failure that has attached itself to the Fantastic Four. If anyone is up for the task it most certainly is Matt Shakman.
While Shakman’s only notable filming to date is Wandavision, Shakman demonstrated a unique versatility in filming Wandavision. Shakman was able to provide humorous sitcom-style episodes based on a variety of different sitcoms starting from I Love Lucy to the more present Modern Family.
The versatility Shakman has shown in Wandavision is certainly going to be needed for the Fantastic Four if Disney hopes to recapture the elements that made The Fantastic Four a beloved hero team.
Whatever direction Matt Shakman decides to go we cannot wait to see the return of The Fantastic Four to the big screen!
Feature Image: Marvel Studios