WandaVision director Matt Shakman is now a favorite for Fantastic Four, following Jon Watts' exit

After Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed a 2024 release date for a Fantastic Four film at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Deadline has reported that WandaVision’s Matt Shakman is now in talks to direct. Jon Watts, who has directed three Spider-Man movies for Marvel Studios and Sony, was previously attached to the project.

Following Black Panther’s success at the Oscars, WandaVision reasserted the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s potential for awards acclaim. Praised for his ability to pay tribute to classic sitcoms, Shakman netted an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He was previously nominated for his work on The Great.

A former child actor, Shakman has become an in-demand TV director across a variety of genres. His credits include an extensive run on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and the pivotal Succession episode “Argestes.” Recently, he was also tipped for Apple TV+’s upcoming Godzilla show, and he helmed the Hulu limited series Welcome To Chippendales, out this fall. On the film front, he’s set to take over from JJ Abrams and Justin Lin on the next Star Trek installment in the Kelvin timeline.

The MCU launched with 2008's Iron Man because the film rights to more well-known characters, including Spider-Man and the Hulk, had been spread out between different studios. After Disney’s acquisition of Fox was finalized in 2019, viewers have been eager to see the Fantastic Four and the X-Men join the MCU.

Deadline notes that talks with Shakman are still early in the process and it is unclear how far along other elements such as casting have progressed, but there should at least be plenty of other news for Marvel fans at Disney’s D23 Expo next month. One thing’s for certain: don’t expect John Krasinski to play Reed Richards.