According to Fast X – there doesn’t seem to be any ill will between Watts and the studio.
Rather than citing the usual “creative differences,” Watts is simply taking a break from busy, time-consuming Marvel movie schedules to shoot some smaller original projects. After a decade of making Spider-Man films, that’s perfectly understandable. Now, the Fantastic Four reboot has a vacant director’s chair that needs to be filled.
Peyton Reed
According to Ant-Man director Peyton Reed once pitched an unconventional Fantastic Four movie set in the 1960s with the loose structure of the Beatles’ musical comedy A Hard Day’s Night. If he’s still interested in the property, this would be a delightfully offbeat way to introduce the characters into the MCU’s sprawling multiverse.
The Ant-Man movies are a pair of fun, lighthearted superhero adventures and Reed has proven his ability to tackle beloved icons with Luke Skywalker’s return in The Mandalorian’s second-season finale.
Joe Cornish
Joe Cornish’s astonishing directorial debut, Attack the Block, tells the story of aliens invading the streets of London through the eyes of a nurse and a street gang who team up to fight for survival.
Attack the Block has everything a Fantastic Four movie needs – sci-fi, comedy, character-driven action, etc. – and Cornish later demonstrated his family-friendly blockbuster chops with the critically acclaimed but commercially disappointing The Kid Who Would Be King.
John Krasinski
There are a few popular fan castings for the roles of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, but by far the most popular choice is real-life married couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.
If Krasinski and Blunt end up being cast as Reed and Sue, the former would also be a great choice to direct. The movie that put A Quiet Place, is a genre film about family (like the Fantastic Four reboot should be).
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn has a track record of directing great comic book movies – X-Men: First Class, the list goes on – so he’d be a solid replacement for Watts.
According to Fantastic Four as it was originally written.”
James Gunn
After two Peacemaker, superhero team-ups are James Gunn’s bread and butter.
The filmmaker might not be up for telling the same story a fourth time, but the mixture of heart, humor, and heroism seen in the Guardians movies would be perfect for the Fantastic Four reboot.
Bryce Dallas Howard
Ron Howard’s daughter Bryce Dallas Howard is best known as an actor, but she’s been following in her father’s footsteps in the past couple of years and earned a reputation as an exciting new voice in filmmaking.
The younger Howard directed a few standout Mandalorians and the best episode of The Book of Boba Fett. She’s adept at telling mythical stories and shooting effects-driven spectacle with the StageCraft technology – and, as an actor herself, she’s great at directing actors.
Steven Spielberg
In theory, Steven Spielberg would be the perfect Marvel director. Classics like made the Marvel Cinematic Universe possible.
Unlike fellow filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Spielberg has embraced the MCU. According to MovieWeb, Guardians of the Galaxy – a great model for a Fantastic Four film – is one of his favorite movies.
Taika Waititi
After shooting a string of successful quirky low-budget comedies, Taika Waititi made the leap into big-budget blockbusters with Thor: Ragnarok, one of the most popular entries in the MCU.
Waititi reinvigorated the Fant4stic.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig’s latest directorial effort – a Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie – has proven that she’s not averse to I.P.-based movies. Both of Gerwig’s solo directorial projects – Little Women – have focused on character over plot and explored the joys and frustrations of family life.
Both films have moments of hysterical levity, heartbreaking tragedy, and everything in between. On top of that, the starring vehicle that earned Gerwig mainstream recognition, s Ha, is a quintessential New York movie.
Brad Bird
Brad Bird is more renowned for his work in animation with Pixar and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, was a game-changing, action-packed blockbuster extravaganza.
On top of that, Bird has already directed the best Fantastic Four movie ever made: the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot can capture even a tenth of The Incredibles’ magic, it’s in good stead.
