Fantastic Four director is evoking 2001: A Space Odyssey with 14-foot miniatures and "depending less and less" on green screen: "A lot of our inspiration is what Stanley Kubrick did in the 60s"

Fantastic Four is a looker. Its retro-futuristic 1960s vibe, complete with utopian buildings and clean aesthetics, already sets it apart from the more uniform style of previous Marvel movies.

Now, director Matt Shakman has revealed the surprising (and welcome) inspiration behind his use of practical effects in the Marvel Phase 6 opener – and explains why he's relying less and less on green screen to get the job done.

During a set visit attended by Collider, Shakman stated that he wanted everything to be as real and authentic as possible when stepping into the alternate history 1960s where the Baxter Building rules the skyline and the Fantastic Four – complete in sleek suits – are there to save the day.

"It's real for me as a filmmaker, it's real for the actors. I think the audience loves it. We're trying to go on location as much as we can. We're building real sets. We're depending less and less on blue screen, green screen," Shakman said. "The movie is set in the '60s, and so a lot of our inspiration is what Stanley Kubrick did in the 60s."

Legendary director Stanley Kubrick was famed for his keen eye for detail, especially when it came to set miniatures. 2001: A Space Odyssey, famously, saw Kubrick consult NASA for ship designs, even going as far as destroying them once production had finished so they wouldn't be re-used.

While Shakman is unlikely to follow Kubrick in that regard, he did give the greenlight for the production team to create a 14-foot miniature replica of the Fantastic Four's ship The Excelsior (a vessel that is already causing a fair bit of confusion after Kevin Feige's recent comments on the Thunderbolts post-credits scene).

“The more you can make things with your hands and see things with your eyes, I think the more people will believe it when they see it on the screen," Shakman said.

Fantastic Four, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, sees Marvel's First Family enter the MCU – and face down the might of the planet-devouring Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson)

The upcoming Marvel movie hits cinemas on July 25. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order and the Marvel timeline.