While he is sure to be just a little biased, The Fantastic Four: First Steps actor Paul Walter Hauser is confident that the upcoming Marvel Studios reboot will be the best movie released this year - and may even prove to be an historical benchmark for the studio.
While speaking to The Direct, the Black Bird star - who is believed to be playing the villainous Mole Man in the movie - hyped up Marvel's First Family's latest big-screen adventure by comparing it to the likes of the first Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. He also alluded to First Steps getting the MCU "back on track."
“So, I think our movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps, to me, only speaking from my opinion, everything I witnessed and took part in, everything I felt while in the presence of the creatives on the film, I believe we are the Marvel movie of the year. I believe we are the one to watch.”
“And I believe that this will go down in history as one of the ones that started a new tide of successful storytelling for the company. Sort of in the same way the Guardians of The Galaxy and Black Panther hit. They both hit in a certain way, I believe we are about to hit,” Hauser added.
There is certainly a lot of buzz around the movie, and the first trailer seemed to go over very well with fans.
The movie is now just under fourth months away from hitting theaters, and Marvel India has released a countdown TV spot. There doesn't appear to be any new footage, unfortunately.
The Fantastic Four reboot stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
Galactus has been confirmed as the main villain, and the Eater of Worlds will be played by Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Game of Thrones). Natasha Lyonne is also on board in an undisclosed role.
Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the movie will take place in an alternate universe, but we know that Marvel's First Family will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, so we wouldn't be surprised if they find their way into the main MCU timeline by the end of this movie.
"Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."
Matt Shakman directs The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.