Another new twist on an evergreen franchise is coming! After making their first public appearance together at Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con 2024 panel on July 27, 2024, superstars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach released a teaser for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in an exclusive interview with director Matt Shakman at Entertainment Weekly’s Video Suite in San Diego.
Matt Shakman talks about The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Shakman made it clear on this occasion that since there have already been several cinematic versions of the Fantastic Four, First Steps will not focus on the characters’ superpowers. “We decided early on that there would be no origin story,” the filmmaker said. “We want to make it our own way, for this we will not tell the story of them climbing up and changing, but will start our story (from there).”
The story of The Fantastic Four revolves around a group of astronauts who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic rays in space. This new reboot will also feature Julia Garner, John Malkovich, Paul Walter Hauser and Natasha Lyonne.
How The Fantastic Four: First Steps is different from other adaptations
Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach said the new version of the Fantastic Four is not intended to discredit the previous adaptations from 2005, 2007, and 2015. “We’re really creating our own distinctive thing,” he said, adding, “But we’re telling our own very distinctive story. Like any great play, you can cast it with four people, and then re-cast it with four different people, and it’s the same play, but it’s a completely different experience.”
Marvel Studios also included the Fantastic Four in various promotional events over Comic-Con weekend. Following a surprise appearance by a Fantastic Four actor at a screening of Deadpool and Wolverine, a drone show displayed a giant version of the team’s logo and allusions to Galactus on July 25. Additionally, retro depictions of the team appeared on several banners around San Diego throughout the week to promote the film.
What is the theme of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The upcoming film features a 1960s retro-futurist setting, which sets it apart from previous Fantastic Four films and inspires the new subtitle, First Steps.
“Our film is set in the ’60s, a retro-future version of that decade that focuses on the space race and exploration,” director Matt Shakman said, adding that the title First Steps is based on that theme of exploration.
Shakman emphasized the positive aspect of space exploration in the film, saying it was inspired by the spirit of the early ’60s when the space race was getting started. He said, “I wanted to capture the excitement of Apollo 11 and imagine that instead of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Storm, Ben Grimm, and Reed Richards were going into space.”
The Fantastic Four will hit theaters on July 25, 2025.
Also read: SDCC 2024: Pedro Pascal and Fantastic Four cast announce title, share filming updates and more during Marvel panel
