Overview

• Columbus told the Fade to Black podcast he had worked on a script and was producing before the head of 20th Century Fox dismissed him after a meeting about concept art.
• He is credited as an executive producer on the 2005 film and its sequel but says he had no practical involvement in the finished movies.
• Columbus had urged a comic-accurate aesthetic and advocated using CGI for The Thing, whereas the released film used a suit and a darker early-2000s style.
• Tim Story ultimately directed Fantastic Four, which earned about $333 million worldwide but drew negative reviews from critics.
• Columbus says the episode, along with seeing acclaimed entries like Spider-Man 2 and The Batman, led him to lose interest in making superhero movies, and his account has not been corroborated by Fox; coverage notes the 2025 The Fantastic Four: First Steps embraced the Kirby-influenced design he preferred.