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Credit: Marvel StudiosThe Marvel Cinematic Universe is changing for good with upcoming movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Still, the highly anticipated Fantastic Four reboot has become Marvel’s black sheep project after director Jon Watts leaves the project.
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Jon Watts is one of the most beloved Marvel directors to date after Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) blew every Marvel fan’s mind, especially with the groundbreaking addition of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
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After The Walt Disney Company announced that Marvel Studios would be rebooting The Fantastic Four with director Jon Watts, fans rejoiced and finally had hope for the tumultuous live-action interpretations of this classic superhero group.
Now, however, Fantastic Four has become Marvel’s forgotten project following the departure of Jon Watts as director:
Jon Watts exits as director on #FantasticFour
Jon Watts exits as director on #FantasticFour
(via @DEADLINE) pic.twitter.com/dbBleeG6zE
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) April 29, 2022
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Deadline reports:
Jon Watts has withdrawn as the director of Fantastic Four, the reinvention of the venerable Marvel Comics series at Marvel Studios and Disney.
Deadline continues:
Watts just directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios film that grossed $1.89 billion to become the sixth highest grossing film of all-time. Nothing sinister here; Watts just needs a break from the superhero realm after completing the Spidey trilogy with Tom Holland and Zendaya. He had expected to make Fantastic Four his next film, the third feature iteration of that franchise and first since Disney acquired Fox, which controlled the franchise. Watts has spent the better part of the last decade directing and promoting the Spider-Man films, after being hired off Cop Car, a small budget indie thriller that premiered at 2015 Sundance. He needs a breather.
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Kevin Feige shared the below statement regarding Jon Watt’s departure from Fantastic Four:
“Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure. We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.”
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Watts revealed to Deadline:
“Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life changing experience for me. I’m eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.”
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Following Watt’s massive jump from low-budget indie films such as his Cop Car (2015) film, the Spider-Man director reportedly needs a break from furthering the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its unending twists of new movies.
Nonetheless, fans seem to be split down the middle with Watts’ departure from Fantastic Four:
WOAH, LET SAM RAIMI DIRECT THEN
WOAH, LET SAM RAIMI DIRECT THEN
— Doog (@Doog_919) April 29, 2022
Another fan shared:
Noooooo
Noooooo
— CT 🛸 (@ChaoticTimess) April 29, 2022
Much like Andrew Garfield, Jon Watts needs a holiday from Hollywood before returning for Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland. Deadline confirms that Watts is still currently slated to direct the upcoming Spider-Man trilogy with Holland and Zendaya:
Sony and its Spider-Man producers have made it clear they expect to reunite Watts with Holland ad Zendaya to continue the series. Watts hasn’t officially dropped out of that franchise, but if it were to happen, it does sound like it would be down the road.
The world of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Ben Grimm/The Thing, Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, and Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom from the mind of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby has so much more to give, especially with fan-castings of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to lead the new team of heroes that span from The Secret War to Black Panther.
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man Avenger is leading the way for Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomers Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Eternals’ Thena (Angelina Jolie), and more — especially with his next Spider-Man trilogy that’s currently in the works.
Who should replace Jon Watts as director of Fantastic Four? Let us know in the comments below!