Jon Watts who steered the Spider-Man: Homecoming franchise to success was set to direct the reboot of the Fantastic Four series. Watts however, has now exited the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the reason behind Watts’ exit is unclear, in a statement to THR, he wrote, “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.”
Watts’ last film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, crossed $1 billion in global box office collections in just 12 days after its release and became the third-fastest film to reach the billion-dollar mark. It ended short of the $2 billion mark, at $1.89 billion.
The film was the final installment in the Homecoming franchise.
He added, “I’m hopeful we’ll work together again, and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.”
Watts’ association with Fantastic Four was announced in December 2020, along with Disney’s Investor’s Day slate of films.
“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,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and co-President Louis D’Esposito said in a joint statement.
The upcoming Fantastic Four film will be based on the comics by the same name.
The first edition in the series was published by Marvel Comics in 1961, and was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.
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The four characters traditionally associated with the Fantastic Four, include Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic, Susan Storm aka Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm aka Human Torch, and Ben Grimm aka the Thing. The four gained superpowers after they were exposed to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer soace.
The comics have been adapted to screen, both as animated series and four live-action films.
The first film was released in 1994. The second adaptation came in 2005, and its sequel in 2007. The third and fourth films featured actors Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, and Michael Chiklis, in lead roles.
The fourth adaptation came in the form of a reboot, and featured Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B Jordan, and Jamie Bell, in the shoes of the superheroes.
Information regarding the upcoming adaptation’s director and cast is yet to be revealed.