An excerpt from a recently released book chronicling recent happenings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe reveals Disney pressured Marvel into announcing the upcoming Armor Wars and Fantastic Four movies before they were ready.
Via MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, which was co-written by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, Marvel did not want to announce Armor Wars or Fantastic Four ahead of time. However, their hand was forced by current Disney CEO Bob Iger and then-executive Bob Chapek who announced an event dubbed Disney Investor Day 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was done to ease the tensions felt by investors as the pandemic wreaked havoc on Hollywood, with Marvel president Kevin Feige and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy asked to announce several projects to get investors and fans excited. Among them were the above-mentioned Phase Six films, which were nowhere near ready enough from a development standpoint to be acknowledged publicly.
Armor Wars Could Give Rhodey His Big Iron Man Moment
The troubles Armor Wars and Fantastic Four have endured along the way may well lend credence to the claims being made in The Reign of Marvel Studios. There has virtually been radio silence about the development of Armor Wars since it was first confirmed, with Don Cheadle set to reprise his role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine in the movie. Armor Wars was initially to be a Disney+ TV series before being shifted to a theatrical production, with Marvel admitting last year that the project would be reworked, though no production or release windows have been confirmed. The most that’s known is that the MCU’s first Phase Five series, Secret Invasion, leads directly into Armor Wars. Additionally, it’s been rumored that James Spader will return as Ultron for the film.
Meanwhile, the most information MCU enthusiasts have heard about Fantastic Four is constant casting rumors, with no official announcements by Marvel about who will appear. However, fans may be getting closer to knowing who will portray the members of the eponymous supergroup, with Pedro Pascal heavily linked to the role of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic while Vanessa Kirby hasn’t denied rumors she will play Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in the movie. Reportedly, Sue will be the focal point of the movie rather than Reed. Though Fantastic Four has a May 2, 2025 release date, the film may be delayed following the SAG-AFTRA strike, with the upcoming blockbuster now in its pre-production stages.
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Armor Wars and Fantastic Four are two of the few projects announced during the 2020 meeting that have yet to premiere, with the upcoming Ironheart series being another, though it has concluded filming. Reportedly, Ironheart was delayed by Marvel recently because the studio wants the series to sync with Armor Wars when it eventually debuts. Fantastic Four, meanwhile, is the MCU’s attempted reboot of the ill-fated film franchise, which released remakes in 2005, 2007 and 2015 to negative critical reviews. While 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Rise of the Silver Surfer were commercial successes, the 2015 edition was a box-office bomb, barely making back its budget.
News about the troubles hindering Armor Wars and Fantastic Four comes amid tough times for the MCU. The latest Phase Five movie, The Marvels, set an all-time opening weekend box-office low for the MCU. Meanwhile, there are mounting questions about whether the Blade reboot will see the light of day and the future of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU amid Jonathan Majors’ legal woes.
The Reign of Marvel Studios is now available on Amazon.
Source: MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios via The Direct
A new report details how Disney rushed Marvel into announcing projects long before they were ready to be. Read More