The First Steps’ Unveils Concept Footage

Marvel’s First Family assembled at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday evening. A concept reel for the inaugural “Fantastic Four” installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was unveiled to Hall H attendees after an introduction by director Matt Shakman, giving fans a taste of the Space Age aesthetic that will be incorporated into the superhero feature. A title was also revealed: “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.”

“We’re doing a retro-future ’60s. Syd Mead was an inspiration. The ’60s, to me, is all about optimism,” Shakman told the audience, expanding on the film’s period setting while referencing the influential designer. “I love the Fantastic Four. I love their power set. We want to be true to the comics but we want to be true to life.”

Shakman then stepped aside to show a video meant to give fans a taste of the flavor of the superhero film. The footage had the tone of a news reel, featuring moments such as Mr. Fantastic speaking to a bored classroom under a banner for “Fantastic Science,” the superhero team’s flying Fantasticar, space suits, a rocket launch and the Thing being featured on a dating show as a mystery contestant. The sequence was capped with a shot of Galactus, the villain of the film.

Also announced at the panel, Michael Giacchino (“Up,” “Lost”) will compose the score for “First Steps.” The panelists are flying back to the U.K. on Monday and production will begin soon after.

The all-star cast of Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic) Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm, aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm, aka The Thing) arrived on stage during Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel in Hall H.

When asked what it meant to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pascal said, “New family. Nobody knows that Matt and I have known each other for 25 years. We had the same manager, and he almost became my roommate in 1999 until he saw the place and he said, ‘nevermind.’”

The cast also includes Julia Garner (Silver Surfer) and Ralph Ineson (Galactus), plus Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne and John Malkovich in undisclosed roles.

The “Fantastic Four” franchise has had a rocky history in bringing its heroes to the big screen. The very first 1994 “Fantastic Four” film was on a press tour before being suddenly scrapped. It was later revealed that it was only made so German filmmaker Bernd Eichinger could retain movie rights to the characters and, according to Stan Lee, it “was never supposed to be shown to anybody.” Fox released two movies in the 2000s with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, that were commercially successful, but critically derided. They were followed by a widely panned reboot in 2015 with Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell.

“Fantastic Four” is set to release July 25, 2025.