The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman has explained why they chose not to focus on how Reed, Sue, and co get their superpowers in their MCU debut – and the reason might be surprising to big fans of Marvel’s First Family.
In an interview with GamesRadar+ , the Fantastic Four: First Steps filmmaker claimed that the 2005 and 2015 movies already nailed the titular team’s origin story, so there was no point in retreading the same ground. “We tell you everything you need to know about who these characters are and how they became who they are, without having to spend the majority of the [film] seeing their accident or learning about their powers – that’s all been done very well before,” Shakman argues.
“We had a chance to do something fresh. How do we do this in a different way? So we decided to kind of give you a little bit of information, but mostly skip over that origin story and drop them into their life as they’re living it, as the Fantastic Four,” he continues. “They’ve been the Fantastic Four for four years, and there are big changes afoot for them, and that’s what I was interested in. Like, how does a child change a family?”
While it’s gone on to be considered something of a cult classic, Fantastic Four (2005) starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Captain America himself Chris Evans was panned by critics, earning just 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. It made $333.5 million from a $100 million budget, which wouldn’t have been considered bad pre-MCU numbers. It probably wasn’t helped by the fact that it came out just a few months after Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, which is largely considered one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Ten years later, Fantastic Four starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan debuted to a measly 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, and pulled in $167.9 million.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently suggested that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the “first standalone” movie in the MCU since Iron Man, meaning that even the most casual fan can see it without having to do “homework” beforehand. Shakman echoed those sentiments, adding: “One of the fun things about the movie is that you don’t have to have seen another Fantastic Four movie or another Marvel movie. You can come into this completely fresh. It’s its own universe.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in UK cinemas on July 24, before arriving in theaters across the US the following day. In the meantime, check out all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way, as well as our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
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