Fantastic Four looks to have found a director in WandaVision's Matt Shakman

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Matt Shakman is in talks to take over from Jon Watts, who was previously on board to direct Fantastic Four

John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Kevin Feige finally has a replacement director in his sights to helm the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. According to Deadline, Matt Shakman – who previously worked with Marvel on the Disney Plus series WandaVision – is in discussions with the studio to take the job.

Shakman takes over from Jon Watts, director of Tom Holland's three Spider-Man movies, who dropped out earlier this year. There were no hard feelings between Watts and Marvel, the filmmaker simply wanted a break from the superhero world. 

Meanwhile, Shakman's dance card is already looking incredibly full. After impressing everyone with his brilliant direction in WandaVision, he's now booked to help bring the MonsterVerse – that's the King Kong and Godzilla universe – to the small screen, and will direct the upcoming fourth Star Trek movie.

Details regarding Fantastic Four are light on the ground. The upcoming movie will be the first big-screen installment in Marvel Phase 6, arriving in cinemas on November 8, 2024. Despite John Krasinski playing Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the actor may not necessarily appear in the new movie. 

In fact, online rumors suggest Feige's looking for a set of young actors to play Marvel's First Family, but we will likely have to wait at least until D23 this September to find out more. Whatever the case, this will be a fresh take on Fantastic Four, and it looks like Shakman's likely the, ahem, man to bring the superhero team to cinemas.

While we wait for Marvel to confirm the news, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows heading our way over the next few years. There's a lot to get your head around.

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.