Posted in: Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: disney, fantastic four, marvel, Marvel Studios

Fantastic Four Director Matt Shakman: "It's Different in So Many Ways"

Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman says that the film is "different in so many ways," they are doing things "very differently" from a storytelling and filmmaking perspective.

The ongoing strikes have thrown a wrench into many productions, but the hope is that with the writers settled, the actors won't be far behind, and we can start moving forward again. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has many projects in many different levels of development, which means delays tend to throw things off. People have been waiting for the Fantastic Four specifically for a long time now, and the "rumors" about the casting for this film are reaching "Will Deadpool 3 be R-rated" levels of annoying when it comes to speculation posts. Even if we here on the internet don't hear anything, that doesn't mean things aren't in motion, and director Matt Shakman explained to Collider that a lot has happened behind the scenes while the strikes have been going on. Specifically, "We are definitely gonna go in front of cameras next year. Probably the spring" in London at Pinewood. Shakman also snuck in a few hints about what we could expect from the film and that we have no idea what is on the way because it is "very different" from anything we've seen before.

"It's different in so many ways," he explained. "I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."

While the strikes might have slowed things down, Shakman reveals that they have been working on the film while both the writers and the actors have been on strike. While they can't do certain things, there are other aspects of filmmaking like production design where if you have a completed script and a team, you could work around these strikes, and it sounds like that is what Shakman and his team did with Fantastic Four. 

"We have been nonstop," Shakam said to a question about the development of certain characters in Fantastic Four created through VFX. "Despite the strikes, yes, we've been working with the effects and with production design and building our world, and that's been incredibly exciting. You know, how do you translate those skills into live-action in dynamic ways? Because some things that work beautifully in John Byrne and Jack Kirby are a little tougher when you're filming them. How do you make sure that things are exciting but also grounded in a scientific thing, which is also part of the Fantastic Four that I love? There's some stuff I'm super excited about. I can't say too much, you know?"

People can't stop being annoying about the casting announcement, but Shakam isn't giving an inch about who is cast and if the casting is final. When asked about the casting, Shakman replied, "Hard to say. Like I said, we're in the middle of a SAG strike, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they get a great deal really soon, and we can go back. Then, once that's resolved, there'll be a plan at that point, but I can't say too much." That should be assurance enough, but he did repeat that there will be an announcement, but now is not the time, saying, "There will be an announcement at some point! I know that the internet is very excited to find out, and I'm excited to share it. I just can't do it yet." The casting announcement will come, so can we stop losing our minds over it every 7-10 business days? The announcement will come someday. The film does have its May 2, 2025, release date at the time of writing.

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