Even before Spider-Man: No Way Home became one of the all-time highest grossing films, Marvel lined up director Jon Watts to helm its Fantastic Four reboot. Watts directed all three of the MCU Spider-Man movies, which revitalized the franchise for both Marvel and Sony. But now, Watts is taking a break from superheroes. Via Deadline, Watts has decided to step down as the director of Fantastic Four.
“Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life changing experience for me,” said Watts in a statement. “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,” added Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito in a joint statement. “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.
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As it happens, Watts already has a project that may be his next film. In September, Watts signed a deal with Apple TV+ to write and direct a film that will star George Clooney and Brad Pitt as rival fixers who are both assigned to the same gig. Under the terms of the deal, Apple has to give it a theatrical release before it can come to Apple TV+.
For Marvel, the next step is finding a new Fantastic Four director. That film didn’t have an official date on Marvel’s schedule, but the search for a new director may push it back even further than it was originally intended to come out.
What do you think about Jon Watts leaving the FF movie? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Fantastic Four Vol. 1: New Departure, New Arrivals
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