Although many fans had hoped that the failure of 20th Century Fox’s 2015 Fantastic Four reboot meant that Marvel’s First Family may potentially find itself heading back home to Marvel Studios, it seems that Fox isn’t looking to give up the rights to the potentially lucrative superhero franchise just yet.
Now, take this as a rumour for the time being, but Bleeding Cool is reporting that Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has written a draft for a new Fantastic Four movie.
According to the site, “the whole movie will be kid-centric with a vibe far more reminiscent of The Incredibles” and will look to differentiate itself from the Josh Trank bomb by focussing on Franklin and Valeria, the children of Reed Richards and Sue Storm (although The Thing and the Human Torch will also feature alongside Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman).
Graheme-Smith does have previous superhero experience, having done some script polishing on Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four movie, as well as writing The Spider-Man Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual. He was also previously attached to direct The Flash solo movie for Warner Bros.
Under the terms of the deal for Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox will retain the rights to the characters, as long as they continue to produce movies. Despite the disastrous box office performance of the last month, producer Simon Kinberg has stated on several occasions that Fox still has plans for the franchise, while Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige revealed last week that there has been no talk about bringing the Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What do you make of this news? Are you excited about the prospect of a kid-centric Fantastic Four movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Originally published June 21, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
