Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) has departed from Fantastic Four, the next film he was attached to direct for Marvel Studios, as reported by Deadline.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home made $US1.89 ($3) billion at the box office, and the Watts-helmed picture is now the sixth-highest grossing film of all time. It’s sort of surprising he has parted ways with the franchise world as many are expecting to see if Marvel’s new take on Reed Richards will appear as part of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is out next week.
“Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life changing experience for me,” Watts said in a statement. “I’m eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.” Watts is currently attached to shift gears into horror with his take on the Final Destination franchise.
It sounds like this move is more of a friendly uncoupling, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito confirmed, “Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure. We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.” It’s worth noting that Watts has not departed the Spider-Man franchise and may return to the Tom Holland and Zendaya-led series down the line.
This story is updating…
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.