Asked what the latest is on the casting process, the filmmaker promised that there "[will] be an announcement at some point," adding, "I’m thrilled that people are as passionate about these characters as I am. The fact that there is so much debate, I love it. I have been thinking about who should play these characters before I had the job to direct the movie, and I understand why everybody would be thinking in the same way."

"Chemistry is super important...It’s Marvel’s first family. I have to get it right. I have to get that chemistry right," he continued. "[The announcement is] not going to be immediately when the SAG strike has resolved, but we’ll be able to share some news at some point. And I hope people are as excited about this cast as I am."

Later revealing Fantastic Four was the only project he met with Marvel Studios to discuss after working on WandaVision, Shakman shared his thoughts on replacing Spider-Man: No Way Home helmer Jon Watts as the movie's director.

FANTASTIC FOUR Director Matt Shakman Says The Team Has Been Cast; Will Be Unlike Anything You've Seen Before
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FANTASTIC FOUR Director Matt Shakman Says The Team Has Been Cast; Will Be "Unlike Anything You've Seen Before"
"I love that comic. I certainly let them know that I love that comic. I think Jon Watts was on it for a while, and he would have done a fantastic job, but he moved on, and I was thrilled that I was able to jump into the director’s chair on it and take his place."

"I mean, we’ve been on our process consistently. I’ve been on the project for a little over a year and working away hard at it the way we’d work on any film at Marvel...starting with, you know, what is the story we want to tell? What is the theme of the story? Why are we telling this story? And just developing then the best possible version of that story, and how do we want to bring these characters to life?"

Understandably refusing to reveal whether he's turned to any specific comic books for inspiration, Shakman confirmed he's worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on a draft of Fantastic Four's screenplay.

This is the first time the latter's name has been tied to the reboot and we'd guess work has continued in earnest with the WGA strike now over.

Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Matt Smith are rumoured to be in the running to play Reed Richards, while Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are supposedly a lock for Sue Storm and Johnny Storm respectively. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, meanwhile, may be Ben Grimm. Nothing has been confirmed, though, so we'll keep you updated.

UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight
UFC 294 Live Free Fight