Director Jon Watts, responsible for the Spider-Man trilogy within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has shared reasons behind his decision to depart from The Fantastic Four: First Steps project.
Sam Raimi, who oversaw the production of “Spider-Man” movies such as “Homecoming,” “Far From Home,” and “No Way Home,” initially planned to manage their sequential return to cinemas. However, soon after the premiere of “No Way Home,” he decided to step away from the project.
The director shared with The Hollywood Reporter that working on the 2021 movie, given the challenges posed by pandemic limitations, left him feeling exhausted.
He expressed that navigating the emotional pressure of adhering to COVID safety protocols, producing creativity, and ensuring everyone’s safety – a mistake could have been fatal – alongside the demanding post-production process proved extremely challenging for him.
In your visual effects work, you often rely on a global network of vendors. However, due to COVID-19, this international supply chain has experienced disruptions, making it challenging to complete visual effects using conventional methods.

Despite the massive box-office success and positive critical response of “No Way Home“, the idea of producing another large-scale superhero film left him feeling drained, admitting that he had run out of creative fuel.
Given the additional challenges posed by the pandemic while trying to create an exceptional movie, I realized I lacked the necessary resources. Frankly, I was exhausted and needed a break to regain my strength,” he concluded.

As a gamer, I get it. They’ve been there with me too, so they knew how tough and exhausting that journey was, yet incredibly rewarding in the end. But if at any point, I can’t give it my all, make it exceptional – then it’s best to step back and let someone else take the reins.
Matt Shakman, who has made a name for himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, took on the director role, and Watts can’t wait to see the final product. However, he confessed that “it will feel incredibly strange for me to sit down and watch that film.
The upcoming movie, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” is scheduled for release in British cinemas on the 24th of July, and in American cinemas a day later, on the 25th. Meanwhile, production for another Spider-Man film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is slated to start in a few short months.
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2025-06-29 21:20