WithFantastic Four: First Stepsjust weeks away from release, Marvel Studios is aiming to do something no otherFantastic Fourmovie has managed to achieve — capture the true, cosmic scale ofMarvel’s First Family. And according to producerGrant Curtis, that means thinking bigger than ever before… without breaking the bank. Duringa set visit to which Collider was extended an invitation, our ownEmma Kielywas part of a roundtable interview session with members of the cast and crew. During the chat with Curtis, it was noted by a journalist thatthe sheer size and scope of the filmcompared to past adaptations. Accordingly, they asked Curtis to speak about just how large this story is aiming to be.
“It’s a very interesting word when you go back, and you look atthe history of theFantastic Four,” Curtis said. “And I think I used it earlier when they described themselves asimaginauts, you know?Their world, their universe, their galaxy was massive. And I think to do them justice, you have to look at that ‘imaginauts’ word and just see where that can play out on a grander scale than what we’ve seen in the past.”
That isn’t just empty talk, though, since this version of the story,directed byMatt Shakman, is being designed as a global — and even interstellar — adventure. Curtis emphasized that it’s all about lifting restrictions, narratively and creatively:
“I thinkthat is how you do theFantastic Fourjustice, is when you take away the boundaries,and you just look at what their world, their universe, their galaxy was in the narrative.”
Who Is On the Mount Rushmore of the MCU?
The producer added that Shakman has been at the forefront of setting that tone, and Marvel Studios PresidentKevin Feigehas been right there with him. “Looking at it from that lens that Matt Shakman led the charge on really helped us figure out thatthere kind of are no boundaries,” he explained. “And that really helps set that tone.” Curtis added that this mentality came from the very top, particularly from Feige:
“Kevin more than anyone — or at least equal to Matt and everyone else — really wanted to continue to do those characters justice and, as we talked [about] earlier, put them onthe Mount Rushmore of the MCUthat they’ve never been on.”
But even when you’re chasing cosmic ambition, someone’s got to mind the budget. “Now, we still — as Tim [Roche] was alluding to earlier — there is, you know, a financial component to that narrative,” Curtis said. “And so you have to play both, but that’s also kind of what we all do for a living, is try totell the biggest, coolest narrative possible on a fiscally responsible scale.And we’ve been able to do that.”
The Fantastic Four: First Stepswill arrive in theaters on August 07, 2025. Tickets are available nowat Fandango.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
