Late last month, X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer admitted that ideas for a Fantastic Four/X-Men crossover movie were “in play†and called it a “natural match-up.†This seemed to confirm the long-standing rumors that Fox was putting together its own Cinematic Universe with the Fantastic Four and X-Men.
However, Fantastic Four producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker have shut down the rumor that the FF and the X-Men exist in the same world. In a joint e-mail, they wrote “They exist in parallel universes…The Fantastic 4 live in a world without mutants. And the X-Men live in a world without the Fantastic 4.”
These comments were made a few days before the Fantastic Four opened in theaters, to disappointing results. The Fantastic Four reboot has not been well received by either fans or critics, and it’s currently an open question as to whether the FF will take this weekend’s box office crown from last week’s champion, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
Director Josh Trank distanced himself from the Fantastic Four with a quickly deleted tweet that appeared to blame the studio for not letting him share his “fantastic version†which would have gotten “great reviews†according to Trank.
Suffice to say, the lackluster performance of Fantastic Four will probably doom any potential crossover with the X-Men films in the near future. If Fantastic Four had been a hit, Reed Richards’ experiments could have easily provided a way to bridge the two worlds. But that won’t happen now.
Fox has already scheduled a Fantastic Four sequel for 2017, but it remains to be seen if the studio will continue with this iteration of the characters. Canceling that sequel would be a huge embarrassment for Fox. But anyone who expects Fox to quietly let the Fantastic Four film rights slip back to Marvel Studios should calm down. It’s far more likely that Fox will eventually make another Fantastic Four movie just to indefinitely maintain its hold on the franchise.
As Trank recently said, “that’s the reality.â€
Comic book movie fans, would you still be up for the Fantastic Four and X-Men in a shared cinematic universe? Navigate the cosmic rays and share your thoughts in the comment section below!
