Legacy. It can be very helpful for a movie, as when the three Spider-Man actors came together in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the audiences cheered on the multiversal reunion that was decades in the making. But legacy can also be detrimental. Mistakes of the past can cast a long shadow over a current film, like when James Mangold tried to scrub clean the stain of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and give Harrison Ford a proper sendoff in the Indy film franchise. That tainted history is coloring Marvel’s approach to The Fantastic Four, which is due in theaters on July 25, 2025. For while dedicated fans know that this is the first Fantastic Four movie made in the MCU, casual fans might remember the disastrous versions that came before this, and it might color their anticipation.
The previous movies certainly had that effect on the current The Fantastic Four cast members, including Paul Walter Hauser – who has been cast in a mysterious role. While discussing his decision to join the MCU with The Hollywood Reporter, Hauser opened up about the existing (and troubled) Fantastic Four productions, and why he ultimately looked past them to sign on for this ride. According to Hauser:
Don’t think that didn’t weigh in as I was deciding whether or not to take the job. That movie has not fully been nailed just yet. But I really do think the combination of the screenplay, and the department heads that are working on the film, and that classy cast of really exciting actors — some of them known for a long time, and some of them having a moment right now — [make me feel that] this movie is special, and it was something I wanted to be a part of.
There will be a lot of eyes on Marvel Studios’ approach to The Fantastic Four, for so many reasons. To start with, in the absence of a true Avengers team – and only the rumblings of mutants being added in live-action to the MCU – the Fantastic Four might have to be the leaders of the Marvel universe for the next few phases of storytelling. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) has the gravity to fill the shoes of a Tony Stark or a Steve Rogers in the MCU, and audiences can rally behind this heroic ensemble… if the movie works well.
Additionally, The Fantastic Four is the first major movie to head into production after Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige declared the studio’s intent to slow down production and refocus on quality over quantity in its pipeline. Blade continues to tread water, and movies like Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World were in stages of development before the Feige decree. The Fantastic Four needs to deliver on a major promise, setting the table for several years of Marvel storytelling. No pressure.
Will they be able to succeed where the previous efforts – notably, the 2015 Fantastic Four movie with Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell – failed to hit the mark? Time will tell, but I think that if the cast members are aware of the impact of the previous FF movies, then director Matt Shakman and his team 100% know the pressure that’s on this movie. We wish them all well!