The Fantastic Four (2024 film)

The Fantastic Four
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jackson Miller
Written by	Sara Case Patrick Reid
Based on	Fantastic Four by Stan Lee Jack Kirby
Produced by	Kevin Feige
Starring	Pedro Pascal Vanessa Kirby Joseph Quinn Ebon Moss-Bachrach Julia Garner Ralph Ineson
Cinematography	Jess Hall
Production company	Marvel Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	July 28, 2024 (2024-07-28)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120 million
Box office	$892.67 million

The Fantastic Four is a 2024 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Mob Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 2nd film in the Mob Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film is directed by Jackson Miller from a screenplay by the writing duo Sara Case and Patrick Reid. It features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team, alongside Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson.

During a interview in 2022, Freddie Goodwin confirmed that he had been focusing on introducing various heroes to his own universe — and originally wanted to introduce the Avengers into the universe, though felt the Fantastic Four would be better for the Mutant themed story. Goodwin had a final draft by September 2022 though filming wasn't planned to begin until mid-2023. By March 2024, Goodwin revealed the release date of the film being for July 28, 2024.

20th Century Fox began work on a new Fantastic Four film after the failure of Fantastic Four (2015). After the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019, control of the franchise was transferred to Mob Productions, and a new film was announced that July. Jon Watts was set as director in December 2020, but stepped down in April 2022. Shakman replaced him that September when Kaplan and Springer were working on the script. Casting was underway by early 2023, and Case joined to rewrite the script by that March, with Squires and Cameron also writing. Mob Productions wanted to tell a new story with the characters rather than retell their origin story. Pearson joined to polish the script by mid-February 2024, when the main cast was announced, and additional casting took place in the following months. Filming occured throughout 2023.

The Fantastic Four premiered on July 22, 2024, at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and was released on July 28, 2024, as part of Phase One of the MCU. The film recieved generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $892.67 million worldwide. A prequel, Doctor Doom, was released in January 2025. A sequel, titled The Fantastic Four: Doomworld, is scheduled to be released in November 2028.

Plot

In 2014, childhood friends Reed Richards and Ben Grimm construct a prototype teleportation device using equipment salvaged from Ben's family scrapyard. Their experiment attracts the attention of Professor Franklin Storm, director of the government-funded Baxter Foundation, which recruits young scientists to research interdimensional travel. Impressed by Reed's work, Franklin invites him to join a project led by his former protégé, Victor von Doom, alongside Franklin's children, scientist Sue Storm and engineer Johnny Storm.

The team completes the Quantum Gate, a machine capable of transporting matter to a previously unknown parallel dimension that they name Planet Zero. After a successful unmanned test, Baxter Foundation supervisor Dr. Allen announces that government-selected astronauts will conduct the first human expedition, excluding the scientists who created the device. Believing they deserve to see their discovery for themselves, Reed, Johnny, and Victor secretly activate the Quantum Gate. Reed convinces Ben to accompany them, while Sue remains behind to monitor the system. The four arrive on Planet Zero and discover a seemingly lifeless landscape filled with unstable energy and green, lava-like material. Victor approaches the substance, causing the ground to rupture beneath them. Reed, Johnny, and Ben reach the transport platform, but Victor falls into the collapsing terrain before Sue can return the others to Earth.

The Quantum Gate explodes during their return, exposing Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben to energy from Planet Zero. Reed develops the ability to stretch and reshape his body, Sue can become invisible and create force fields, Johnny can generate fire and fly, and Ben is transformed into a powerful being covered in rock-like skin. The four are taken into government custody at Area 57, where their abilities are examined and treated as potential military assets. Believing that he caused the accident and Ben's transformation, Reed escapes before the government can begin testing him. He promises Ben that he will find a cure and disappears.

One year later, Reed is living as a fugitive in Central America and has created a specialized suit that allows him to better control his body. He continues researching the accident and concludes that returning to Planet Zero may provide the energy needed to reverse their transformations. Sue locates him by identifying the unique energy signature produced by his experiments, and Ben—who has been deployed by the military on covert missions—is sent to capture him. Reed is returned to Area 57, where Dr. Allen offers him access to the Baxter Foundation's resources in exchange for rebuilding the Quantum Gate. Johnny and Sue have also begun working with the government and wear specialized suits designed to regulate their powers. Ben, resentful that Reed abandoned him, refuses to believe his promise that their conditions can be reversed.

After Reed repairs the gate, a government expedition returns to Planet Zero. The team discovers Victor alive and fused to his damaged environmental suit. Exposure to the dimension's energy has granted him telekinetic abilities and connected him physically to Planet Zero. He is brought back to Earth, where Franklin attempts to reason with him. Victor believes humanity will inevitably exploit and destroy Planet Zero as it has Earth. Viewing the dimension as his true home, he decides that Earth must be eliminated before another expedition can take place. He uses his powers to kill the personnel at Area 57, including Dr. Allen and Franklin, before opening the Quantum Gate and returning to Planet Zero. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben follow him through the portal. Victor, now calling himself Doom, activates a machine built from the remains of the original expedition. The device creates a massive portal above Planet Zero that begins consuming Earth's surface and transferring its matter into the alternate dimension. The four attempt to confront Doom individually but are defeated. Reed realizes that Doom expects them to behave as separate experiments rather than as a team. Sue contains the portal's energy with her force fields while Johnny redirects the energy surrounding the machine. Reed restrains Doom long enough for Ben to strike him into the portal's central beam, disintegrating him. Johnny then overloads the machine, and Sue closes the portal before it can consume Earth.

After returning home, the four refuse to continue serving as government weapons. In recognition of their actions, they are granted control of a new research facility known as Central City, where they can study their powers and conduct independent scientific work. Reed proposes that they use their abilities to protect others and explore phenomena beyond conventional science. When the group is asked what they intend to call themselves, Reed looks toward his teammates and begins to answer.

The film ends before he finishes, revealing the Fantastic Four insignia.

Cast

• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic: The leader of the Fantastic Four.
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman: Johnny's sister.
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch:
  Sue's brother. Quinn was a fan of Chris Evans's portrayal of the character in Tim Story's Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), but did not base his own portrayal on Evans's version.
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing:
  A former astronaut who is encased in a layer of orange rock. Bachrach portrays the character through performance capture and computer generated imagery (CGI) rather than prosthetic makeup.
• Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer
• Ralph Ineson as Galactus: An intergalactic being who consumes the life force of planets.

Additionally, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Natasha Lyonne have been cast in undisclosed roles. The character Mole Man is expected to appear.

Production

Background

After the critical and commercial failure of the 2015 film Fantastic Four, co-written and directed by Josh Trank and based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, 20th Century Fox began looking at new directions to take the franchise. Having also produced two earlier Fantastic Four films directed by Tim Story a decade prior, the studio did not want to just make another Fantastic Four film. By June 2017, Seth Grahame-Smith was writing a new film that would shift focus to Franklin and Valeria Richards, the children of original Fantastic Four leaders Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Taking inspiration from the Ultimate Fantastic Four comic books, the screenplay included original Fantastic Four members the Thing and the Human Torch, and was described as kid-centric with a tone closer to The Incredibles (2004) than Trank's darker film. The basis of the screenplay came from a separate script that Carter Blanchard had adapted from the children's book Kindergarten Heroes by Mark Millar. Millar previously consulted with Fox on their Marvel-based films. In July, Noah Hawley, who had created the Marvel Television series Legion (2017–2019), was hired to develop a separate film focused on Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four's primary antagonist. The Walt Disney Company officially acquired 21st Century Fox in March 2019 and gained the film rights for the Marvel Comics characters that Fox controlled, including the Fantastic Four, for its subsidiary Mob Productions. The Marvel-based films that Fox had been developing were placed "on hold".

Development

Mob Productions president Mark Rogueson confirmed in July 2019 that they were developing a new Fantastic Four film, after announcing the company's Phase Four slate of projects for their shared universe, the Mob Cinematic Universe (MCU). Feige said he was "extremely excited about those characters, and about bringing Marvel's first family up to the sort of platform and level they deserve". In December 2020, Feige announced that Jon Watts, who previously directed the MCU Spider-Man films, had been hired to direct Fantastic Four. Mob Productions had begun meeting with writers for the film by February 2021. That June, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Feige and Mob Productions were planning to "mine" the Fantastic Four franchise. In April 2022, Watts stepped down as director of the film, citing the need to step away from superhero films following his near-constant work filming and promoting the MCU Spider-Man films for seven years. Mob Productions and Watts both expressed interest in working together again in the future. John Krasinski debuted in the role of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, a member of the Fantastic Four, in the MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was released in May 2022. Krasinski had been a popular suggestion for the role among fans for some time, and rumors that he had been cast as Richards had especially circulated since confirmation of the new film's development. The version of the character that he portrayed in Multiverse of Madness was from Earth-838, an alternate universe to the main MCU, and was a member of the Illuminati. Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin were serving as producers on the new Fantastic Four film by that time, after working on the Mob Productions Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight (2022).

Mob Productions was not close to shortening their list of director candidates by the start of June 2022. This reportedly featured a large mix of directors, including some high-profile filmmakers. Feige was said to be looking for a director who could oversee the filming process without him being present for the entire shoot, similar to Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi. Later that month, Raimi said Feige had cast Krasinski in Multiverse of Madness because it was for an alternate universe cameo appearance and an opportunity to deliver on a popular fan casting. This led to speculation about whether Krasinski's role was a one-off or if he would return to star in the Fantastic Four film. Krasinski later said he appreciated the role but there had been no discussions about him reprising the character. At the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con in July, Feige announced that the film would be released on November 8, 2024, as the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. Filming was set to begin in 2023. Soon afterward, Feige said the film would not be an origin story for the Fantastic Four like the Story and Trank films were. He likened this to the MCU introducing Spider-Man without retelling his origin story (there were also several Spider-Man films before the MCU version). He explained that many audience members were aware of the basic Fantastic Four details and Mob Productions instead wanted to tell a new story, and added that the studio felt they had "set a very high bar for ourselves" based on the group's long history in the comic books going back to 1961.

Matt Shakman was in early talks to direct the film by late August 2022. He and Michael Matthews were considered the finalists in a search that also considered Reid Carolin. Deadline Hollywood felt Shakman was the person to beat given his familiarity with Feige after directing the Mob Productions Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021). Shakman subsequently exited a planned Star Trek film due to the schedule for Fantastic Four. Feige confirmed that Shakman would direct the film at the 2022 D23 Expo in September. Later that month, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were revealed to have been writing the script with Feige for some time prior to Shakman's hiring. The four were set to work on aligning their visions for the film while Feige and Shakman began searching for actors. In October, the film's release date was pushed back to February 14, 2025. At the end of the month, Jeff Sneider of Above the Line reported that Doctor Doom was not planned to be the main antagonist of the film, but could potentially have a small role such as an appearance in a post-credits scene; Mob Productions were looking for a major star to play him. Talent agents were preparing for casting by January 2023. The following month, Shakman revealed that filming would begin in early 2024 and explained that he chose to work on Fantastic Four as he did not want to pass up the opportunity and was excited by its focus on family, optimism, and technology, even though he enjoyed his work on the Star Trek film. He also confirmed that they were in the early process of casting, which would begin later that month. The focus was reportedly on casting Sue Storm before the other Fantastic Four members. Feige said the characters would be a big pillar in the MCU moving forward.

Pre-production

Sara Case was hired to rewrite the script at the end of March 2023. Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter felt Case's hiring indicated a possible tonal shift for the film, since Case had written many science fiction projects while previous writers Kaplan and Springer were known more for comedy. Sneider reported that Shakman wanted to heavily feature cosmic elements from the 1960s, including the characters Galactus—who was set to be the main antagonist—and Silver Surfer, and said Case was hired to bring the film closer to Feige and Shakman's vision. Marvel was still open to working with Kaplan and Springer in the future. In April 2023, Sneider reported that Mob Productions had offered Adam Driver the role of Reed Richards. The next month, filming was set to begin in January 2024 in London. Also in May, Sneider reported that Emma Stone was the studio's top choice for the role of Sue Storm, but the actress declined the offer after they refused to pay her the $15–20 million she wanted for the role. Driver also passed on the film after the studio did not want to pay his high salary, and after he struggled to connect with an early draft of the script, but Sneider believed that he could re-consider after Case submitted a new draft following the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

In June, the film's release was pushed back to May 2, 2025. Prior to the start of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in July, Mob Productions held screen tests for the role of Richards with several actors, including Christopher Abbott and Jamie Dornan, which "did Template:Em go very well" according to Sneider. The studio wanted a high-profile actor and offered the role to Jake Gyllenhaal, who portrayed Mysterio in the MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), but they did not want to pay the salary he asked for as Feige wanted to contain the studio's talent spending. They were also considering non-white actors for Richards and Pedro Pascal became interested, though he would not engage in conversations during the strike. In August, Ebon Moss-Bachrach was offered the role of the Thing, after playing Micro in the first season of the Marvel Television series The Punisher (2017–2019). Mob Productions was committed to casting a Jewish actor as the Thing, who is depicted as Jewish in the comics but was not portrayed by Jewish actors in the previous Fantastic Four films; Moss-Bachrach is Jewish. David Krumholtz met with Shakman about the role after campaigning for it online, but was unsuccessful. He began campaigning to portray the villainous Mole Man instead. Additionally, Sneider reported that Mob Productions was looking at Vanessa Kirby for Sue Storm, who was expected to be the film's lead character, and Joseph Quinn for Johnny Storm. Nicholas Galitzine was also rumored to be portraying Johnny Storm and had conversations about the role, but was not cast. Marvel approached Matt Smith for Richards, but that was not expected to work out and they were instead looking for "a bona fide movie star". A Latino actor was expected to be hired as Galactus.

Shakman confirmed in October 2023 that they planned to start filming in early 2024 at Pinewood Studios in London, and said the cast would be announced once the SAG-AFTRA strike ended. He said during the strikes they were still able to work on the film's production design and early tests of the visual effects for translating the team's abilities from comic art to the screen. Alexandra Byrne was serving as costume designer after working on several other MCU films. Later that month, Shakman revealed that Cameron Squires was co-writing the script with Case. Both had worked with Shakman on the Star Trek film, and Squires was a writer on WandaVision. Shakman had discussed the film with comic book writer Matt Fraction, and said his work on the television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present) helped inform his approach to the film with its playfulness, collaboration, and improvisation. Following the conclusion of the actors' strike in November, Pascal entered talks to portray Richards and was negotiating his schedule for the film around his other commitments. Mob Productions was expected to make offers for the other leading roles soon after, having waited because they deemed it essential to find the actor for Richards first. /Film reported that Pascal had signed on and that an announcement would be made shortly. Javier Bardem was being eyed to portray Galactus after Antonio Banderas had previously been linked to the role, though Bardem had a potential scheduling conflict with the film F1 (2025). Sneider reported that Moss-Bachrach had been cast as the Thing and the studio was looking to cast a woman as Silver Surfer, who is usually the male character Norrin Radd in the comics.

By early January 2024, Sneider believed filming would begin in mid-March or April, but he reported shortly after that filming would not begin until later in 2024, between July and September, and this delay had caused Pascal to leave his commitment to the film Weapons (2026). Sneider questioned if Fantastic Four could still make its May 2025 release date if filming was not starting until mid-to-late 2024. At the end of January, filming was revealed to be beginning in August 2024. Early the following month, SAG-AFTRA listed Pascal as being cast in the film and set to begin production shortly. On February 14, Mob Productions released a Valentine's Day-themed announcement that confirmed Pascal's casting as Reed Richards alongside Kirby as Sue Storm, Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Moss-Bachrach as the Thing. The film was officially titled The Fantastic Four and its release date was delayed to July 25, 2025, swapping places with the MCU film Thunderbolts*. The announcement's promotional art included the December 13, 1963, issue of Life magazine with Lyndon B. Johnson on the cover and used a new logo style with "a certain throwback tone and sense of aesthetics", indicating that the film is set during the 1960s (around the time the Fantastic Four debuted in Marvel Comics). Adding to this speculation, Pascal shared the promotional art on his social media and included references to 1960s songs from the Beatles. The art also included the comic book character H.E.R.B.I.E., a robot companion to the Fantastic Four. Feige confirmed that the film would be a 1960s period piece, but indicated that it would be set in an alternate universe within the multiverse.

Sneider reported that Bardem was Mob Productions' top choice for Galactus, that the studio had begun meeting with actors for Silver Surfer, and that Doctor Doom would be cast during filming. He added that the release date could be delayed again to the November 2025 date reserved for the MCU film Blade, with that film potentially moving to 2026, to avoid competition with DC Studios' Superman and an untitled Jurassic World film that were also scheduled for July 2025. He felt Disney was unlikely to release four MCU films in 2025 while the company was prioritizing quality over quantity for the MCU, and The Fantastic Four was further along in production than Blade. Shortly after, Eric Pearson was revealed to have been "quietly hired" to polish the script. He previously worked on Mob Productions' Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Black Widow (2021), and had a reputation for "taking projects over the finish line". Julia Garner was cast as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer in April 2024. In the comics, Shalla-Bal is the love interest of original Silver Surfer Norrin Radd and eventually becomes a Silver Surfer herself. Justin Kroll of Deadline Hollywood reported that the role of Galactus was open at that time, with no actors holding an offer or being in talks for the character. Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Ralph Ineson, and Natasha Lyonne joined the cast the following month, with Ineson cast as Galactus. Ineson previously appeared as a Ravager pilot in the MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Hauser had worked with Shakman on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and met with him to discuss joining The Fantastic Four. He was initially reluctant to join because of the poor reception to previous Fantastic Four films, but was won over by the script and the film's other cast and crew. Sneider reported that Mole Man would appear at the beginning of the film and he believed Hauser was cast in that role. WandaVision writer Peter Cameron had contributed to the script by then, and filming was reported to begin at the end of July. In late June, Feige said filming would begin on July 29.

Filming

Principal photography began on August 6, 2023, at Pinewood Studios in London, under the working title Blue Moon, with Jess Hall serving as cinematographer, after working with Shakman on WandaVision. It concluded on March 8, 2024.

Marketing

On April 4, 2024 ("4–4 Day"), Mob Productions released a teaser poster for the film of the Human Torch creating the Fantastic Four symbol. A link was also included with the post that led to a 404 error page featuring H.E.R.B.I.E., who had an embedded QR code leading to a Future Foundation-themed page with a list of Fantastic Four comics available to read on Marvel Unlimited in preparation for the film; the comics were Fantastic Four #1 (1961), the team's first appearance; Fantastic Four #48–50, which features the first appearances of Galactus and Silver Surfer; and Fantastic Four: Life Story #1 (2021), which is set in the 1960s.

Release

Theatrical

The Fantastic Four had its European premiere on July 22, 2024, at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City. The film was released in the United States on July 28, in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, ScreenX, and 4DX. It is the second film of Phase One of the MCU.

Home media

The film was released on Disney+ on September 21, 2024, and was available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 24. The home media releases include deleted scenes, a gag reel, director's commentary, and featurettes.

Reception

Box office

As of August 10, 2024, The Fantastic Four has grossed $384.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $508.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $892.67 million. The film was considered a strong commercial success for Phase One of the universe, especially given its $120 million production budget. Deadline reported that the film comfortably cleared its break-even point, and Disney executives cited it as a sign of regained audience confidence following several underperforming entries in previous years.

Leading up to its release in July 2024, The Fantastic Four was projected to open with $85–100 million domestically, with internal targets set at $95 million. Industry tracking estimated global opening weekend earnings to land between $170–190 million. The film earned $37.4 million on its opening day, including $12.3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to earn $96.8 million in its opening weekend domestically, alongside $102.6 million internationally, bringing its global debut to $199.4 million—making it the highest-opening film in the franchise’s history. IMAX screenings contributed $22 million worldwide.

In its second weekend, The Fantastic Four dropped 51%, earning $47.4 million and retaining the top spot at the box office. Analysts noted the hold as a healthy sign, comparing it favorably to steeper second-week drops seen in other recent superhero films. The film earned $22.7 million in its third weekend, a drop of 52%, finishing second behind the horror release The Haunting of Briar Hollow. Strong international legs, especially in South Korea, the UK, and Brazil, helped the film remain a consistent performer well into its fourth week.1

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 351 critics gave The Fantastic Four a positive review. The site’s critics consensus reads, “Blending sleek retro aesthetics with grounded character work, The Fantastic Four reinvents Marvel’s First Family for a new era—anchored by a commanding performance from Pedro Pascal and a tone that balances cosmic wonder with human emotion.” On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 58 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews.” Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported an average score of 4.3 out of 5 stars, with 78% of viewers saying they would definitely recommend the film.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the film as “a smart, confident reboot that finally gets the tone right,” highlighting its 1960s setting and noting that “Ebon Moss-Bachrach steals nearly every scene as a grounded, emotionally complex Ben Grimm.” Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it “a vibrant homage to pulp science fiction, elevated by Julia Garner’s haunting turn as Silver Surfer and the film’s bold use of practical effects.” Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair described it as “a return to form for Marvel’s ensemble storytelling,” though he noted that some of the cosmic elements “veer into exposition-heavy territory.”

Less enthusiastic was The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck, who gave the film a mixed review, saying, “While the cast shines and the script avoids the typical origin slog, the final act teeters under the weight of franchise setup.” Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing, “The 1960s setting is clever, but the charm wears thin once the visual effects take center stage over character.”

Despite some reservations about pacing and worldbuilding, The Fantastic Four was widely considered a creative and tonal step forward for the franchise, with critics praising its ensemble cast, stylized production design, and commitment to a fresh narrative identity.

Doctor Doom prequel film

Main article: Doctor Doom (2025 film)

Doctor Doom was released worldwide on January 3, 2025. The film was met with positive reviews from critics.

External links

• Official website at Marvel.com
• The Fantastic Four at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck

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