Steven Spielberg has reportedly been tapped to direct Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
Yes, you read it right. According to multiple sources including the former director of the Montclair Film Festival Mike Samson (opens in new tab) and Adam B Vary of Variety (opens in new tab), the legendary director turned down the opportunity to direct the highly anticipated Marvel film. These reports came after a wild rumor that went viral on July 14 that Spielberg would be announced as the director of the Fantastic Four movie during Marvel Studios’ presentation at D23 Expo on Saturday, September 10 .
The surprising gossip comes from Marvel Studios’ spoilers Reddit page (opens in new tab). A post from Tales From The Mod Queue, which regularly shares unconfirmed information from various Marvel leakers, included a snippet linking Spielberg to a dual role as director and producer in the Fantastic Four reboot. The post also noted that ET, Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan Helmer were in final negotiations to join the growing roster of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directors.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for this particular leak to make its way onto the wider internet. The post led to various actors, comic book characters, and upcoming Marvel Phase 4 projects trending on Twitter, including Spielberg and Fantastic Four.
However, it appears that Marvel Studios did Reaching Spielberg — at least according to Sampson — to direct his Fantastic Four film, the multi-award-winning director wasn’t interested.
Ok, so I’m not in the scoop game anymore, but I’ve heard that Marvel reached out to Spielberg’s team to gauge interest in directing Fantastic Four, but that’s what the “discussions” presumably made up because SS has no interest.July 14, 2022
It should be noted that the moderators of the Marvel Studios spoiler page stressed the importance of taking everything in the Reddit thread with a huge pinch of salt. The initial post suggested that readers should not read too much into it while moderator JohannSchmidt1943 (opens in new tab) confirmed that the information in this post was unconfirmed.
That didn’t stop Marvel fans from being sent into a frenzy by the rumor linking Spielberg to the MCU movie Fantastic Four. That is, until the likes of Sampson, Vary and Steve Weintraub from Collider (opens in new tab) cold water was poured on this guess.
Disney and Marvel had not responded to our request for comment on the rumor as of press time. We’ll update this article if any of the studios provide an official statement on the speculation.
Analysis: Would Spielberg have been a good fit?
Yes, we think it would have been him. Spielberg is one of the best sci-fi directors out there, with Close Encounters of the Third Kind being all-time classics alongside ET and Jurassic Park. The legendary director’s other sci-fi works like AI, Minority Report, War of the Worlds and Ready Player One weren’t as well received as the previous trio, but they still have their fair share of fans worldwide. Spielberg’s influence on the sci-fi genre stretches far and wide, with hit Netflix shows like Stranger Things and Sweet Tooth (the live-action series and graphic novels) drawing heavily on his work.
So, given the Fantastic Four’s sci-fi leanings, Spielberg would have been a natural fit to direct the superhero flick. His keen cinematic eye, coupled with his vast experience in the genre, could have given the origins of The Fantastic Four a unique twist, albeit one in keeping with the way they emerge in the comics and how the iconic quartet will fit into the ever-expanding MCU.
Marvel insiders such as Big phase (opens in new tab), have already hinted that the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie will take inspiration from an iconic Star Trek sci-fi series. So bringing someone of Spielberg caliber on board to direct a film like this would have made for fascinating and fan-favorable viewing. Unfortunately, it looks like Spielberg won’t be joining the MCU as a director.
He’s not the only one either. Bryce Dallas Howard has also denied her involvement in Marvel’s Fantastic Four film; The Jurassic World star said she was not approached to direct the film or play Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman.
Meanwhile, fans are hoping John Krasinski will be cast as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the main MCU timeline. Krasinski achieved critical acclaim as the same character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, it’s unclear if Marvel will ask him to return. The Tales From the Mod Queue thread suggests it won’t be, but as we’ve learned, it’s best to take any and all rumors surrounding the Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie reboot with a massive heap of salt.
For more MCU-based content, check out our Ms Marvel Ending Explainer or read She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the next MCU TV show to land on Disney Plus.
