The Fantastic Four is gearing up to begin shooting later this summer and Marvel Studios has now enlisted a cinematographer in Jess Hall.
He's no stranger to period pieces and previously worked with director Matt Shakman on WandaVision and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Other credits include Chevalier, Ghost in the Shell, Hot Fuzz, and The Spectacular Now.
The news that he'll serve as The Fantastic Four's Director of Photography comes our way from Hall's website. Shakman and Hall reteaming isn't a surprise, and based on her work in WandaVision, he won't struggle to make this movie look visually distinct.
In other news, Hollywood insider Matt Beloni recently weighed in on Marvel Studios' upcoming projects in an edition of his podcast titled, "The Best and Worst Media Mergers of the 21st Century."
"The future of Marvel seems to be in exploiting these Fox Marvel properties like Fantastic Four and X-Men and Deadpool," he explained. "It gives Marvel a place to go on all of this."
So yes, as suspected, the future of the MCU will revolve around the Fantastic Four and X-Men. This is no great shock when the latter franchise alone has the potential to spawn countless team-ups and solo movies and TV shows.
"I think I love the space race, Kennedy-era optimism of that world," Shakman previously said of what drew him to The Fantastic Four. "The idea that we can solve all of our problems, that we can, through the right heart, the right mind, and the right technology, conquer any problem."
"I have loved these characters since I was a kid so it is a huge joy to be able to work with them, spend time with them every day," the filmmaker added. "To bring them into the MCU is also a huge joy. So it's that. It's just the excitement of being the kid who found them when was I was six, seven, eight, and now being able to work with them on the big screen. It's amazing."
Marvel Studios has announced that Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will lead The Fantastic Four cast. Julia Garner has also joined the reboot as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer.
Recent additions to the cast include Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich in mystery roles, along with Ralph Ineson as the villainous Galactus.
Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four's screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) recently coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.