The 'Fantastic Four' Just Got a Super New Title

The Big Picture

Marvel president Kevin Feige announces
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
with an all-star cast at SDCC.
From a failed 1994 attempt to the 2015 flop,
the Fantastic Four
has faced ups and downs on the big screen.
The upcoming reboot of The Fantastic Four promises to breathe new life into Marvel’s iconic family.

Tonight at SDCC, Marvel president Kevin Feige dropped some news about the upcoming The Fantastic Four, the long-awaited movie about Marvel’s first family, as he introduced the cast of the movie on-stage at Hall H ahead of the beginning of principal photography this week. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn were joined on stage by director Matt Shakman, to reveal the official title of the film: The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

A History of the Fantastic Four on the Big Screen

Since their comic book debut in 1961, the Fantastic Four have been a cornerstone of Marvel’s superhero universe. Their journey to the big screen has seen its share of ups and downs. Before they hit the big screen, there was an infamous attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to life in 1994. Produced by Roger Corman, this low-budget film was never officially released and remains a curious footnote in the team’s cinematic history. Despite its obscurity, it has since gained a cult following among fans.

The first major attempt to bring Marvel’s First Family to the big screen came in 2005 with Fantastic Four, directed by Tim Story. Starring Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis as The Thing, the film aimed to capture the essence of the comic book team. While it received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and introduced a new generation to the Fantastic Four.

In 2007, Story returned with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. This sequel introduced the iconic character of the Silver Surfer, voiced by Laurence Fishburne and performed by Doug Jones. While it improved on some aspects of the original, it still faced criticism for its plot and character development, and none of the actors ever played those characters again. Nope. Never happened, especially not recently.

In 2015, the franchise was rebooted with Fantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank. This version starred Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara as Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan as Human Torch, and Jamie Bell as The Thing. The film took a darker, more serious tone, but it was plagued by production issues and creative differences. Despite a promising cast, the film was a critical and commercial disappointment, leaving the future of the franchise in doubt, until now.