Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts will no longer direct the MCU’s Fantastic Four film, as he “needs a break from the superhero realm.”
As reported by Deadline, there is “nothing sinister” attached to Watts’ departure and Watts is expected to rejoin Tom Holland and Zendaya for the next entry of the Spider-Man franchise, whenever that may be.
“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.”
“Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure,” Marvel studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito said. “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.”
Prior to directing Spider-Man: No Way Home for Marvel, which grossed $1.89 billion, Watts also led the first two films in the Holland-era of Spider-Man. Now, Watts will look to continue work on an Apple Studios film that he will write and direct. The film will star George Clooney and Brad Pitt as rival “fixers” who “find themselves simultaneously hired for the same job.”
The latest Fantastic Four film was announced in 2020, and it has been mostly quiet in the news department since then. In February 2021, it was reported that the studio was still looking for writers and that “it will be a while” before production begins.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
