Full spoilers follow for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four movie has secured the services of two producers who worked on the MCU’s best TV series.
Speaking to Comicbook.com, Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater revealed that Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin – who co-executive producer of the Disney Plus show with Oscar Isaac – have boarded the upcoming marvel movie.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie is still in the early stages of development, so it might be a while before we get any official word on Curtis and Pepin’s involvement. Slater’s comments, however, all but confirm that they will be part of the lead creative team for the Marvel Phase 4 project.
“My executives on Moon Knight are the same guys who run Fantastic Four, so we talked about that a lot,” Slater explained. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to kick you for anything, because honestly, you don’t need my stink on this.'”
Curtis and Pepin are the first individuals — Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige aside — to board the Disney affiliate’s Fantastic Four reboot. Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts had been attached to direct the superhero film, but Watts left in early May, citing the need for a break from the superhero genre.
On May 10, we reported rumors linking The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard to succeeding Watts in the directing role. Unsurprisingly, Marvel has yet to comment on the speculation, and given the original source of the rumor, we’d suggest taking it with a big pinch of salt for now.
It’s also unclear if John Krasinski (The Office US, A Quiet Place) will reprise his role as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic for the Fantastic Four MCU movie.
Marvel fans had long asked Krasinski to portray the leader of the Fantastic Four in the MCU, and those specific viewers got their wish in the recent Doctor Strange 2. Krasinski appeared as Reed Richards as part of the lineup. Earth-838’s Illuminati a number of cameos in the multiverse-centric film. However, it’s unclear if he’ll return as Reed Richards for the band’s MCU film, although it’s believed Marvel has started casting for its Fantastic Four feature film.
For more MCU-based content, find out why we think Doctor Strange 2 should have used a specific Marvel movie review to its advantage.
Analysis: exchanging the supernatural for the scientific
If Curtis and Pepin were installed as executive producers on the film The Fantastic Four of Marvel, the duo will trade the supernatural side of the MCU for a more scientific approach.
Moon Knight was very focused on the mystical and paranormal facets of the MCU; its exploration of gods, monsters and the otherworld positioning it as a metaphysical project – much like Doctor Strange and, to some extent, Black Panther – compared to much more realistic and grounded movies and shows like Iron Man and Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Fantastic Four is likely to fall into the latter category. Sure, the group gain their powers and abilities after being exposed to cosmic rays – at least in the comics – but their origins and much of their comic book series are rooted in science. In this sense, Reed Richards and company are not about the afterlife or mythical beings. Instead, they deal with space, the concept of time, and alternate dimensions (and the villains who inhabit them).
For Curtis and Pepin, working on a Fantastic Four movie will be a far cry from producing Moon Knight. Given the critical acclaim and positive fan reception the latest Marvel TV show received, however – it currently holds a 7.5/10 rating on IMDb.com, plus 87% and 92% receptions. critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes – the pair’s influence on the development of Moon Knight cannot be underestimated.
Add to the fact that Curtis worked on Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, as well as Pepin’s involvement in other MCU projects such as Shang-Chi, Loki and WandaVision, the pair are clearly versed in producing various comic book live-action projects across many genres. As long as Slater doesn’t have the wrong end of the stick, Marvel Studio’s Fantastic Four movie is in very safe and capable hands with Curtis and Pepin, along with Feige and fellow Marvel producers Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso and Louis D. ‘Esposito.