There’s a new look at Fantastic Four: The First Steps – and it’s giving Marvel meets 2001: A Space Odyssey.
“I really wanted to go with as grounded a version of space as possible,” director Matt Shakman told Empire. “So, no wormholes. Their tech is very much retro-future, but it’s also booster rockets. It’s a combination of Marvel and Apollo 11. I really wanted it to feel like it was made in 1965, the way Stanley Kubrick would have made it. Within reason.” It’s worth noting that the movie itself takes place in the 60s (shortly after the JFK assassination to be exact), though we know the team will make their way to the present-day (thanks in part to that Avengers: Doomsday announcement).
The cast of Marvel’s first family includes Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm. You can check out the photos of the gang in their retro spacesuits below.
EXCLUSIVE 🚀#TheFantasticFour: First Steps is a ‘60s Space Race movie shot with miniatures, practical sets and vintage lenses.“I wanted it to feel like it was made the way Kubrick would have made it,” director Matt Shakman tells Empire.READ MORE: https://t.co/heHc6aJniN pic.twitter.com/1UPxZSiaNNApril 4, 2025
EXCLUSIVE 4️⃣The Fantastic Four will be in Avengers: Doomsday – but First Steps is self-contained.“We are our own universe,” says Matt Shakman. “Eventually this world will meet up with other[s] — but for now this is our own little corner.”READ MORE: https://t.co/heHc6aJniN pic.twitter.com/WRQsODnOacApril 4, 2025
The team-up is joined by Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s planet-eating Galactus, as well as John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Paul Walter Hauser.
Per the official synopsis, the upcoming film will see the Fantastic Four “face their most daunting challenge yet” as they are “forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is released on July 25, 2025. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
