Fantastic Four was released in 2005, with a sequel - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - following two years later. That was where the franchise ended until 2015 when 20th Century Fox rebooted it to disastrous results.
Next up is Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four, a new adventure set in the MCU...in an alternate reality.
Joseph Quinn has been cast as the MCU's Johnny Storm, meaning he has to follow in the footsteps of Chris Evans (who, before being cast as Captain America, flamed on as the Human Torch).
"I remember really enjoying Chris Evans's performance as Johnny in the previous films, and it felt like this would be a really exciting opportunity; I was absolutely signed up," the Stranger Things star tells Entertainment Weekly.
He'd add that he didn't have Evans in mind while auditioning because "you're going to make it your own." However, he acknowledges that "it's big boots [to fill]."
"I had a talk with [director] Matt [Shakman], and it was very clear with the kind of people who they were attaching to it what they were trying to do with it," Quinn said of what drew him to The Fantastic Four. "There are aspects of it that are very much a singular thing and its own thing."
"Working with Vanessa, Pedro, Evan - they're really consummate pros and brilliant in everything they're in," he notes. "So I'm really looking forward to establishing this familial dynamic with them and with Matt Shakman's guidance."
Resurrecting the Fantastic Four franchise won't be easy, particularly with audiences conditioned to expect disappointment from Marvel's First Family in theaters. With so much talk of "superhero fatigue," is Quinn worried that moviegoers will reject this latest take?
"I think that with the story of the Fantastic Four, it feels like we want to get this right," he acknowledges. "There are aspects of it that are very different to other Marvel films. That felt very compelling to me. And again, going back to who's involved, Matt, of course, the director, I think is brilliant, and the cast, and I've read it and the script is brilliant. It's really brilliant. I'm delighted to have this opportunity."
"Superhero movies are movies about people. And if we're invested in the people and the characters and the peril and the spectacle, then that's why people go to the theaters to watch films. We're not just in a penny; we're in for a pound with this one. We're going to go for it."
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.
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.