Marvel Studios' upcoming Fantastic Four reboot has found its screenwriters as the MCU prepares to introduce the iconic family of heroes. Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, fans have eagerly been waiting to see the MCU finally introduce the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, two properties that Marvel Studios had to sell when it went bankrupt. While the franchise has slowly introduced Mutants, the Fantastic Four are still waiting to get brought into the MCU.
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While Fantastic Four was initially slated to come out at the end of Phase 4, the project got delayed partially because of the global pandemic but also due to director Jon Watts exiting the project. With this being one of the biggest IPs in the whole Marvel brand, the studio has been taking its time to get things right by slating it for Phase 6 in 2024. Even though John Krasinski appeared as Mister Fantastic variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the cameo was more fan-service than setting up the reboot.
Barely a month after Matt Shakman was tapped to helm the Fantastic Four reboot, the movie has found its writers. Deadline reports that Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer are writing the film and have apparently been involved with it "for some time" before Shakman even got the directing gig. The report also revealed that Kaplan and Springer had been outlining with Kevin Feige where Fantastic Four would fit into the MCU but will now work together with Shakman to complete the vision. With the creative team set, Feige and Shakman will officially begin the search for the four Marvel icons, which is why there was no Fantastic Four casting news at D23 earlier this month.
The Fantastic Four reboot officially serves as the biggest credit for both Kaplan and Springer, who are fairly new as a writing duo. Their body of work includes films such as The Last of the Great Romantics, Bert and Arnie's Guide to Friendship, and they also wrote the script for the upcoming Warner Bros. film Palm Springs. Interestingly enough, Watts is actually involved with Palm Springs as a producer. Since Fantastic Four is slated to hit theaters in November 2024, casting will likely be completed at the start of 2023, with Q2 or Q3 reserved for principal photography as it kicks off Phase 6 the following year.
Given how long Marvel Studios has worked on the Fantastic Four reboot, it's more than likely that the team will factor heavily into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Since Kang the Conqueror has his own ties to Marvel's first family, it will be interesting to see whether or not any Variants of Jonathan Majors' character will be in the 2024 film. The only thing Feige has confirmed about the reboot is that it won't be an origin story. This means they will already have their powers by the time Fantastic Four hits theaters. Even if they don't show up in the flesh, it's always possible that any of the upcoming Phase 5 movies or TV shows name-drop them as a way to build up hype for their proper MCU debut in 2024. Now that Fantastic Four has its writers, the reboot is one step closer to becoming a reality as the iconic team joins the Avengers in the near future.