The Fantastic Four: First Steps is nearly here, and IMAX has just dropped a new featurette teasing the epic scale of WandaVision director Matt Shakman's first MCU movie.
While the Marvel Studios reboot was shot for IMAX, the filmmaker appears to confirm that all of Galactus' scenes will be presented in the expanded 1:43:1 ratio. That should go a long way in making The Fantastic Four: First Steps a must-watch on the premium format screens.
The movie's cast has been doing the rounds to promote the movie (they land in London later today), and at a recent press event, Ebon Moss-Bachrach talked about receiving advice from Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo before he donned a mo-cap suit as The Thing.
"I got a really nice, very long, thorough text from Mark Ruffalo," the Andor star explained. "My character is performance capture and I was a little anxious about that. Somehow, he got wind of my insecurity. He was really generous."
This will be the second mo-cap Thing, as Jamie Bell's version was brought to life in the same way for 2015's Fantastic Four movie.
Reflecting on the franchise's past at the same event, Vanessa Kirby tactfully said, "We were always aware that we could never compare to that nostalgia. There's so much to love about what other actors and other teams and stuff have done. You'd never want to compare really."
Each of the previous Fantastic Four movies had good qualities (more so in the 2005 and 2007 versions than in the last effort), but the hope is that this take will finally do right by Marvel's First Family. Either way, Avengers: Doomsday is up next for them.
You can watch this new featurette for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in the players below.
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.
Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.
Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.