The last significant news we got about the Fantastic Four reboot was during Disney's Investors Day when it was revealed that director Jon Watts would be helming their first MCU adventure. Even though Fantastic Four is in the very early development stages at Marvel Studios, it has been revealed that they have begun meeting with writers to take on what's hopefully the adaptation that will finally get their live-action representation right after a few misfires.
The news comes from journalist Justin Kroll who is known for his scoops in the movie and TV world. Kroll took to Twitter to offer up an update on the project and while no specific names were revealed, he explained that Marvel has been actively meeting with writers to hear their potential take on the reboot. There is currently no script in place and production isn't expected to star for quite some time. Here is what Kroll had to say about the status of the project:
"All I'm gonna say is this, Marvel just started meeting with writers on Fantastic Four, there is no script and it will be awhile before this film starts shooting"
It appears the update was given because a recent rumor went a little wild over the weekend that suggested that Jennifer Lawrence has been offered the role of Sue Storm, aka The Invisible Woman, in the new film. The reports of her being offered the role were eventually debunked but who knows what could happen down the line. Jessica Alba played the role previously in two live-action films when the property was under the ownership of 20th Century Fox while Kate Mara took on the role in another attempt to reboot the property in 2015. The quality of the 2015 film actually made some fans find some appreciation for the 2005 effort but it's still clear that Fantastic Four hasn't gotten its definitive live-action adaptation just yet.
Another possible reason for the groundswell in Fantastic Four speculation is courtesy of WandaVision on Disney+. (SPOILERS ARE INCOMING IN CASE YOU'RE NOT ALL CAUGHT UP ON THE SERIES…YOU'VE BEEN WARNED). There are fan theories that the show is somehow connected to the superhero team. One theory that gained substantial traction was that the show could feature a surprise appearance from Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. Monica Rambeau (Teynoah Parris) mentioned in episode five of the series ("On a Very Special Episode…"), that she has an aerospace engineering friend who would be able to construct a vehicle to re-enter the Hex in a way that she could withstand the reality-warping radiation created by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). Fans thought the engineering friend would be Reed Richards which would've put down the groundwork for the introduction of the Fantastic Four. Of course, if you've watched the latest episode, we now know that the engineering friend turned out to be a U.S. Air Force major by the name of Goodner (Rachael Thompson).
Jon Watts will get to have his hands in two Marvel properties as he's the director of the MCU Spider-Man films and is currently still shooting Spider-Man 3. I believe Watts is a good choice to take on Fantastic Four because his visual sensibilities seem to be exactly what's needed to give them a proper introduction in the MCU. If Watts can get a screenplay in his hands for the project and the right case, the Fantastic Four may actually have the cinematic moment they deserve.
Are there any writers that YOU think should take a shot at Fantastic Four?