Avatar's Josh Friedman finds his way into writing the Fantastic Four script

Josh Friedman got out of the fire and jumped straight into the frying pan. By that we mean: after working with James Cameron in Avatar: The Way Of Water, he’s signed on as a scribe for Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie, according to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Kevin Feige announced in 2019 that Fantastic Four was joining the vast and ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film has undergone a bunch of changes since then, including its release date, which moved from November 2024 to February 2025. Spider-Man’s Jon Watts was initially going to direct before he stepped down. WandaVision’s Matt Shakman then got the coveted gig. As for the film’s writers, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer came aboard in September 2022. There’s no official word on why Friedman replaced them, but THR’s story cites a possible change in tone for the F4 movie.

Friedman’s experience includes Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia, Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds, an upcoming Star Trek movie, and a couple of Avatar sequels. He’s also worked on TV in the sci-fi genre with shows like Snowpiercer, Locke & Key, and Foundation under his belt. So it’s safe to assume Marvel wants to stick to the, er, fantasy aspect of the comics.

There’s no word yet on any casting or storyline updates, but the film will be part of Marvel’s Phase Six. While Doctor Strange: Multiverse Of Madness introduced an essential F4 character in Reed Richards, it’s TBD if John Krasinski will reprise the role in this film. In our minds, we’re all fan-casting Reed, Sue Storm, Ben Grimms, and Johnny Storm already though, right? Hopefully, Feige will have more updates by the time this year’s San Diego Comic-Con rolls around in the summer.

Fantastic Four is set to release on February 14, 2025, although it could change at any given moment. If not, then what’s more romantic than a goddamn Marvel movie?