Latest news with #FantasticFour
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jon Watts reveals real reason for quitting Fantastic Four
Jon Watts has finally shared why he dropped out of directing 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'. The 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' director quit the project in 2022 and explained that the 'emotional strain' of pandemic-related fatigue meant he had felt he had no option but to quit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he explained during a storytelling masterclass at the Mediterranean: 'The emotional strain of having to go through all of those COVID protocols while also trying to make something creative while also trying to make sure that your cast and crew were all safe - literally, people could've died if you did things wrong - that and the postproduction process was very difficult. 'When you're doing [visual effects work], there's a whole international component to it where you're using vendors from all over the world, and the supply chain had been interrupted because of COVID. It was really hard to get effects done in a traditional way.' He had committed to 'Fantastic Four' between the second and third 'Spider-Man' movies but when the time came to get started, he was 'out of gas'. He said: 'The COVID layer on top of making a giant movie layer, I knew I didn't have what it would've taken to make that movie great. I was just out of steam, so I just needed to take some time to recover. Everyone at Marvel totally understood. They had been through it with me as well, so they knew how hard and draining that experience has been; in the end, very satisfying, but at some point, if you can't do it at the level that you feel like you need to for it to be great, then it's better to not do it.'
Geek Tyrant
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Director Jon Watts Opens Up About Why He Left Marvel's THE FANTASTIC FOUR Project — GeekTyrant
Jon Watts is no stranger to big swings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He directed all three of Tom Holland's Spider-Man films, culminating with No Way Home , a global juggernaut that brought together multiple generations of Spider-Man and nearly hit the $2 billion mark. So when Marvel tapped him to reboot Fantastic Fou , it made sense. But just months before pre-production kicked into gear, Watts quietly stepped away, and now we know why. While speaking at the Mediterrane Film Festival, Watts finally opened up about the real reason he dropped out. It wasn't because of creative differences or a scheduling conflict. It was burnout, specifically, the kind brought on by trying to make No Way Home during peak pandemic chaos. Watts explained: 'The emotional strain of having to go through all of those COVID protocols while also trying to make something creative while also trying to make sure that your cast and crew were all safe — literally, people could've died if you did things wrong — that and the postproduction process was very difficult. 'When you're doing [visual effects work], there's a whole international component to it where you're using vendors from all over the world, and the supply chain had been interrupted because of COVID. It was really hard to get effects done in a traditional way.' Making a Marvel movie is already like steering a freight train through a needle, but doing it under strict health guidelines, that's a different beast entirely. And No Way Home wasn't just another sequel, it was a multiversal event with a sprawling cast, a visual effects gauntlet, and a story that had to emotionally land across three separate franchises. So by the time Marvel came calling again, Watts had to take stock of where he was mentally and creatively. 'I am out of gas. The COVID layer on top of making a giant movie layer, I knew I didn't have what it would've taken to make that movie great. I was just out of steam, so I just needed to take some time to recover. 'Everyone at Marvel totally understood. They had been through it with me as well, so they knew how hard and draining that experience has been; in the end, very satisfying, but at some point, if you can't do it at the level that you feel like you need to for it to be great, then it's better to not do it.' The pressure to always jump to the next big thing, especially when it's something as legacy-heavy as Fantastic Four, can be overwhelming. Watts prioritized his mental and creative health over momentum, which I can respect and appreciate. Since stepping away, Watts worked on the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew . Meanwhile, Matt Shakman ( WandaVision ) took the reins on Fantastic Four: First Steps , which finally hits theaters July 25. Watts says watching the film from the outside will be a 'totally surreal experience.' He won't be returning for the next Spider-Man either as Brand New Day , due in 2026, will be directed by Shang-Chi 's Destin Daniel Cretton, but most recently, he co-wrote and produced Final Destination: Bloodlines . Sometimes the best career move is knowing when to sit one out.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
First Steps to ruin: Is Marvel's Fantastic Four finally about to let the bad guys win?
What if Thanos really had finger-snapped away half of all life in the universe and then kicked back on his scorched Titan homestead like a giant, purple Cincinnatus? What if Ultron had succeeded in uploading himself into the cloud, turning every smart fridge and Fitbit into a genocidal death bot? What if Loki had kept the Tesseract, conquered Earth, and turned Avengers Tower into a golden skyscraper shaped like his own smirking face? These are the Marvel sliding‑doors moments we are secretly relieved that we will never see – too bleak, too bonkers, or too off‑brand to survive outside the whiteboard of producer and Marvel boss Kevin Feige. But what if the Disney-owned studio actually went there? What if the universe did end in tears, ash and the soft whirr of a retro‑futurist espresso machine sputtering out its final cortado as Galactus devours the sun? This may be the queasy promise behind The Fantastic Four: First Steps – a film that appears to revel in retro‑futurist utopian aesthetics but also looks likely to end in cosmic obliteration. Its latest trailer, out this week, certainly leaves us wondering if, this time, the bad guys may win. Sign up to Film Weekly Take a front seat at the cinema with our weekly email filled with all the latest news and all the movie action that matters after newsletter promotion Early glimpses of the film read like a love‑letter to a future that never was, all soft lighting, swooping mid‑century rocket ships and wholesome family dynamics. Reed Richards is busy tinkering with gadgets that run on vacuum tubes and barely repressed genius. Ben Grimm lurks in a letterman jacket, looking like a walking pile of regret. Sue Storm floats weightlessly in a zero‑gravity kitchen that wouldn't look out of place in a SpaceX commercial directed by Don Draper's artier younger brother, while Johnny Storm radiates cocksure charisma and combustion. All that Apollo‑era optimism curdles fast. We cut to trembling ground crews, misbehaving solar flares and giant shadow‑objects looming towards Earth – before Julia Garner's Silver Surfer glides in like a chrome‑plated herald of doom to announce that this planet is toast, and you may as well give up now. In any other Marvel movie, that would be the cue for a heroic fightback and Galactus being packed off to the nearest celestial naughty‑step. The end‑credits would show the team curing their hunger pangs in an all‑night diner. But there is something so downcast about this new trailer that you can't help wondering if everything is going to work out for the best this time. After all, this isn't the Marvel Cinematic Universe we have come to know and love. It may be a sleek, chrome‑plated utopia built on jetpacks and optimism, but as it is one of maybe a million universes, it is also eminently dispensable, instantly rebootable and narratively nonbinding. Could all those soaring space bridges, apple‑cheeked children and pastel dioramas be a plot device to show how easily the studio can destroy the visual playground in front of it – as long as it has 999,999 other realities to plunder for future episodes? Perhaps the biggest concern – for those who stayed through Thunderbolts* to its startling second post‑credits scene – is that the Fantastic Four's retro rocket ship is shown hurtling toward Earth‑616 like a vinyl‑wrapped harbinger of doom. Feige insists this may not be that ship, but if it is, then all those efforts in First Steps may just have been in vain. The opening moments of next year's Avengers: Doomsday could yet show the Four crash‑landing into the MCU, bruised, broken, and with apocalypse on their ash‑flecked lips.
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Emma Stone 'really wanted to work with Ari Aster'
Emma Stone "really wanted to work" with Eddington director Ari Aster. The 36-year-old actress stars alongside the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, and Austin Butler in the new comedy-drama film - but Emma admits that Ari really attracted her to the project. Asked what drew her to the movie, Emma told Extra: "Honestly, I loved the script, but the biggest draw for me was Ari." Emma is a long-time fan of the filmmaker, who previously helmed movies such as Hereditary and Midsommar. And the award-winning actress jumped at the opportunity to work with Ari. She shared: "I love Ari's other films. "I like him so much as a person and had gotten to know him for years before this, and so when he asked me if I wanted to be a part of it, I just said yes because I really, really wanted to work with Ari." Emma would actually love to work with Ari, 38, on another movie. Asked about the prospect of reuniting with him for another film, the actress replied: "I would love to, if he'll have me." Emma also relished the experience of working with the film's star-studded cast. However, she never actually got to shoot any scenes with Pedro Pascal. She explained: "I didn't get to work with him. You'll see in the movie, we don't get to intersect, but I've gotten to hang out with him outside of it, so it feels like it all evened out." Despite this, Emma can't wait to see her co-star in the new Fantastic Four movie. She said: "Of course I'm gonna see Fantastic Four. That trailer? With the song Fantastic Four where they're singing it? I mean, Pedro's enough for me, but then we got that great song? I'm in." Emma is one of the best-known actresses in Hollywood, but she previously confessed to suffering from crippling anxiety during her younger years. She told Rolling Stone magazine: "My brain [was] naturally zooming 30 steps ahead to the worst-case scenario. "My anxiety was constant. I would ask my mom a hundred times how the day would lay out. What time she was going to drop me off? Where was she going to be? What would happen at lunch? Feeling nauseous. At a certain point, I couldn't go to friends' houses anymore – I could barely get out the door to school." Emma's parents eventually encouraged her to see a therapist, and that proved to be a turning point for the movie star. She said: "I drew a little green monster on my shoulder that speaks to me in my ear and tells me all these things that aren't true. And every time I listen to it, it grows bigger. If I listen to it enough, it crushes me. But if I turn my head and keep doing what I'm doing it shrinks and fades away."
Irish Independent
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's guest list: Kim Kardashian, Leo DiCaprio, but no ‘space sister' Katy Perry
The tech multi-billionaire has ruffled feathers by deciding to wed in the Italian lagoon city, which is sinking at a rate of one to two millimetres a year, exacerbated by rising sea levels. Oxfam has previously estimated it would take an average person 207 years to emit as much carbon as Jeff Bezos does in 12 months – and that's only counting the impact of his private jet. Let's not forget the controversy of Bezos's courtship with the 55-year-old former TV journalist. He and Sanchez were found to be romantically involved while both were married to their previous partners, Mackenzie Scott and Patrick Whitesell. When their affair was exposed in 2019, it came with a series of embarrassing sexts and alleged nude pictures. So they're not exactly America's sweethearts, nor Venice's. But there will be some people looking on fondly as the pair tie the knot: their close, personal, powerful friends. Kim Kardashian has already arrived with mum Kris Jenner and sister Khloe Kardashian. They were seen boarding water taxis with Kim wearing a Balenciaga boob tube, skirt and snakeskin heels, while Khloe opted for a leopard print jumpsuit and matriarch Kris wore a black lace confection. Kim has become close with Sanchez over the past few years and recently attended her hen party in Paris. Jenner is also close with Sanchez, and is attending with partner Corey Gamble. ADVERTISEMENT Ivanka Trump, husband Jared Kushner and their three children – Arabella Rose, Joseph Frederick and Theodore James – have also all made their way there. Gaga and Elton are good friends and were happy to do it together According to reports, the entertainment for the wedding is pretty impressive, with Elton John and Lady Gaga allegedly scheduled to perform. 'Lauren wanted some big talent to sing for them, and it just doesn't get any bigger than Gaga and Elton,' a source said. 'It also helps that Gaga and Elton are good friends and were happy to do it together, which is cool. It will be like a mini vacation for the besties.' However, reps for Lady Gaga and Elton John have denied the stars will be performing at the wedding, despite repeated reports. Other high-profile A-listers expected to attend are Fantastic Four actress Jessica Alba, who has been friends with Sanchez for years, since before her relationship with Bezos, and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, who also attended the hen party. However, there may be one very famous face absent from the wedding proceedings. Katy Perry, Sanchez's 'space sister' who accompanied her on the all-female Blue Origin flight to space last April, was due to perform in Australia yesterday, the first day of the wedding celebrations. Outlets have reported that her partner Orlando Bloom will be attending alone amid rumours of the couple having split. However, Sanchez will have one space sister, with presenter Gayle King expected to attend, as well as Oprah Winfrey. Donald Trump Jr and his new girlfriend Bettina Anderson – who Sanchez is close friends with – are also set to attend. There's a question mark beside Elon Musk following his fallout with Donald Trump Donald Trump himself has been floated as a guest – he was in Europe for the Nato summit in the Netherlands this week. Then there are the celebrity guests who attended the pair's engagement party: these include Leonardo DiCaprio, who also has a noted interest in space travel, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. As for the other tech bros, billionaire Bill Gates and CEO of TKO Group Holdings Ari Emanuel were also present for the couple's engagement party, promoting suspicion they will attend the wedding. There's a question mark beside Elon Musk following his fallout with Donald Trump and notable step back from public life, prompting a Politico article entitled 'Why has Elon Musk disappeared from the spotlight?' Musk and Bezos once had a long-documented rivalry, but appeared to become cordial, united by their fondness for Trump, around last January. It's not known whether he has snagged an invite.
