Summary
The updates provided by James Gunn about 2025’sSupermanhave me worried about its biggest MCU competitor,The Fantastic Four: First Steps. WhileSupermanandThe Fantastic Fourwill likely be two very different movies, they will be released within weeks of one another.Supermanis theupcoming DCU moviethat will kickstart Gunn’s new version of the franchise, whileThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill be aiming to get Marvel’s First Family right on-screen for the first time. As anupcoming Marvel movieof great importance,The Fantastic Fourhas a lot of pressure on it.
Similarly, though,James Gunn’sSupermanmoviehas its own pressures given the mistreatment of the character in the DCEU and the failures of the DC brand in theaters of late. As such, July 2025 is an important month for both Marvel Studios and DC Studios, with the two comic book giants releasing highly anticipated movies only two weeks apart. That said, theSupermanupdates that Gunn recently provided have eased my worries about the DCU film, all while worsening some I hold forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Fantastic Four: First Steps - Release Date, Trailer, Cast, Story, & Everything We Know
The MCU is bringing a new version of the Fantastic Four as part of its Multiverse Saga, and here’s what you need to know about this reboot.
James Gunn Has Eased Two Comic Book Movie Worries With Superman
Superman Will Not Fall Into Two Superhero Movie Traps From Recent Years
SinceSupermanbegan production, Gunn has been very open and honest with fans online about the process of making the film. This is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air, as one of the problems I had with the DCEU was the lack of communication from filmmakers and studio executives, the absence of a clear, concise plan, and the overall conflicting tones the franchise possessed. Recently, one of Gunn’s most recent updates on hisThreadsprofile pertained to theVFX work onSuperman, with Gunn explaining his process for the first DCU film.
Gunn explained that he makes an effort when crafting all of his films, includingSuperman,to give VFX workers the time they needto craft CGI elements to a good standard. Gunn explained that he and his team began working on these elements during the filming process, from editing to working on VFX shots, allowing the CGI of the finished product to look polished. This certainly eases worries thatSupermanwill take after recent superhero films, which have often been criticized for shoddy VFX, as the artists are not given the time or working conditions needed to implement their craft to a high standard.
These worries will not be prevalent withSuperman, as Gunn planned the movie from start to finish so that reshoots would not be necessary…
Another update Gunn provided recently was thatSupermanwill have no reshoots. While reshoots are essential for most Hollywood movies, they have become somewhat of a crutch of late, with studios sometimes using them to drastically alter the final product of a finished film. These worries will not be prevalent withSuperman, as Gunn planned the movie from start to finish so that reshoots would not be necessary.
Superman
Cast
Superman (2025): Superman follows the dual life of Clark Kent, a journalist in Metropolis, as he endeavors to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Set against a backdrop of personal discovery, the film explores his journey of identity as he navigates his existence in a complex world.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Releases Weeks After Superman With A Much Tighter Timeline
The Fantastic Four Has Disadvantages Compared To Superman’s Production
Worryingly, theseSupermanupdates reflect poorly onThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. The latter film is set to release on June 22, 2025, two weeks afterSuperman’s July 11 release date, yet has a much tighter timeline than the DC movie.Supermanwrapped filming in the final few days of July 2024, withThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsonly starting production that same week after teasing the film as part of Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel. As such,The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas to finish filming and wrap post-production in under a year.
Marvel’sFantastic Fourmovie is set to film for around five months, with the studio eyeing December 2024 as the end of production. One source of my worries for this is the potential of reshoots, which Marvel Studios has been known to employ with several of its films, including2025’sCaptain America: Brave New World. IfThe Fantastic Fourneeds reshoots, they will realistically take place between two-to-four months out from the film’s release date. This will giveThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsa much more rushed post-production timeline thanSupermanpossesses.
Not only will post-production work need to be completed for the film’s original shoot, but any reshoots captured would need to be worked on, likely taking VFX houses right up until July to finalize the movie. This will continue the issues prevalent in superhero movies of late, that being the overworking of VFX artists and the lack of time needed to iron out post-production with desirable workplace conditions. Gunn’s much more expansive timeline meansSupermanis avoiding such issues, begging the question of whether and howThe Fantastic Four: First Stepscan do the same.
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How Can The Fantastic Four: First Steps Avoid Recurring MCU VFX Issues?
A Long Pre-Production Period Could Have Aided The Fantastic Four
With these potential issues in mind, there are some waysThe Fantastic Four: First Stepscould avoid them. For one, the film has had a lengthy pre-production process. It was first announced in 2019, and while another director was initially attached, many of the aspects of the film that were written between 2019 and September 2022 when Matt Shakman was hired will likely be carried over. Similarly, the work done on the film between September 2022 and July 2024 will have been substantial, meaning more of the story was planned ahead of time.
While The Fantastic Four: First Steps has multiple writers, all of them are still credited, meaning several ideas from early in pre-production will be used.
This could mean that, like Gunn withSuperman, the script has been ironed out and polished enough so that reshoots are not necessary forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Regarding the potential issues with VFX work, SDCC and D23 2024 offered a lot of pre-visualization shots from the film for those in attendance. This could mean that a portion ofVFX work forThe Fantastic Fourwill be done as the film is shooting, rather than solely after production is over. Hopefully, these two things turn out to be true and allowThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsto follow inSuperman’s footsteps.
Production Issues On Another Marvel Movie Could Ironically Benefit The Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four May Be Moved Back From July 2025
Ironically, the production issues of another MCU project could alleviate those ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. The only upcoming MCU movie confirmed for 2025 that was not mentioned at all at SDCC or D23 wasMarvel’sBladereboot. The film is scheduled to be released in November 2025, yet production issues have resulted in the film having no attached director as of August 2024. As such, finding a director, getting the script completed, and going through pre-production, filming, and post-production in 15 months is incredibly unlikely.
This could result inBladebeing moved back to 2026, leaving its November 2025 slot open forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Although Kevin Feige reiterated at SDCC 2025 thatThe Fantastic Fourwill hit its July 2025 release date, Marvel’s pre-established plans have been known to have changed numerous times in the past. It could actually benefitThe Fantastic Four: First StepsifBladewere to be pushed back, giving the former film closer to a year to conduct reshoots and finish post-production as opposed to four-to-six months, thus learning the best lessons from James Gunn’sSuperman.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic 4: First Steps features Marvel’s First Family navigating their dual roles as superheroes and family members in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. They defend Earth from a formidable space god, Galactus, and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer, testing their familial bonds and heroic resolve.
