Editing The Fantastic Four: First Steps (section)

===Development===
Marvel Studios president [[Kevin Feige]] confirmed in July 2019 that they were developing a new ''Fantastic Four'' film, after announcing the company's Phase Four slate of projects for their shared universe, the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] (MCU). Feige said he was "extremely excited about those characters, and about bringing Marvel's first family up to the sort of platform and level they deserve". In December 2020, Feige announced that [[Jon Watts]], who previously directed the MCU ''[[Spider-Man (film series)|Spider-Man]]'' films, had been hired to direct ''Fantastic Four''. Marvel Studios had begun meeting with writers for the film by February 2021. That June, then-Disney CEO [[Bob Chapek]] said Feige and Marvel Studios were planning to "mine" the ''Fantastic Four'' franchise. In April 2022, Watts stepped down as director of the film, citing the need to step away from superhero films following his near-constant work filming and promoting the MCU ''Spider-Man'' films for seven years. Marvel Studios and Watts both expressed interest in working together again in the future. [[John Krasinski]] debuted in the role of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, a member of the Fantastic Four, in the MCU film ''[[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]]'' (2022). Krasinski had been a popular suggestion for the role among fans for some time, and rumors that he had been cast as Richards had especially circulated since confirmation of the new film's development. The version of the character that he portrayed in ''Multiverse of Madness'' was from Earth-838, an alternate universe to the main MCU, and was a member of the Illuminati. [[Grant Curtis]] and [[Nick Pepin]] were serving as producers on the new ''Fantastic Four'' film by that time, after working on the Marvel Studios Disney+ miniseries ''Moon Knight'' (2022).

Marvel Studios was not close to shortening their list of director candidates by the start of June 2022. This reportedly featured a large mix of directors, including some high-profile filmmakers. Feige was said to be looking for a director who could oversee the filming process without him being present for the entire shoot, similar to ''Multiverse of Madness'' director [[Sam Raimi]]. Later that month, Raimi said Feige had cast Krasinski in ''Multiverse of Madness'' because it was for an alternate universe cameo appearance and an opportunity to deliver on a popular fan casting. This led to speculation about whether Krasinski's role was a one-off or if he would return to star in the ''Fantastic Four'' film. Krasinski later said he appreciated the role but there had been no discussions about him reprising the character. At the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con in July, Feige announced that the film would be released on November 8, 2024, as the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. Filming was set to begin in 2023. Soon afterward, Feige said the film would not be an origin story for the Fantastic Four like the Story and Trank films were. He likened this to the MCU introducing Spider-Man without retelling his origin story (there were also several ''Spider-Man'' films retelling his origin before the MCU version). He explained that many audience members were aware of the basic Fantastic Four details and Marvel Studios instead wanted to tell a new story, and added that the studio felt they had "set a very high bar for ourselves" based on the group's long history in the comic books going back to 1961.

[[Matt Shakman]] was in early talks to direct the film by late August 2022. He and [[Michael Matthews]] were considered the finalists in a search that also considered [[Reid Carolin]]. Deadline Hollywood felt Shakman was the person to beat given his familiarity with Feige after directing the Marvel Studios Disney+ miniseries ''WandaVision'' (2021). Shakman subsequently exited a planned ''[[Star Trek (film franchise)|Star Trek]]'' film due to the schedule for ''Fantastic Four''. Feige confirmed that Shakman would direct the film at the 2022 D23 Expo in September. Later that month, [[Jeff Kaplan]] and [[Ian Springer]] were revealed to have been writing the script with Feige for some time prior to Shakman's hiring. The four were set to work on aligning their visions for the film while Feige and Shakman began searching for actors. In October, the film's release date was pushed back to February 14, 2025. At the end of the month, Jeff Sneider of Above the Line reported that Doctor Doom was not planned to be the main antagonist of the film, but could potentially have a small role such as an appearance in a post-credits scene; Marvel Studios were looking for a major star to play him. Talent agents were preparing for casting by January 2023. The following month, Shakman revealed that filming would begin in early 2024 and explained that he chose to work on ''Fantastic Four'' as he did not want to pass up the opportunity and was excited by its focus on family, optimism, and technology, even though he enjoyed his work on the ''Star Trek'' film. He also confirmed that they were in the early process of casting, which would begin later that month. The focus was reportedly on casting Sue Storm before the other Fantastic Four members. Feige said the characters would be a big pillar in the MCU moving forward.