Overview

• Columbus says he was developing and producing the first Fantastic Four when a 20th Century Fox executive phoned to dismiss him after a meeting where he offered creative input.
• He recalls being told he had “too much of an opinion” and says he ultimately “had nothing to do with” the finished movies despite his executive-producer credit.
• His feedback included pushing for conceptual art that better reflected Jack Kirby’s style and the Silver Age tone of Marvel’s comics.
• He says the episode cooled his interest in superhero filmmaking and that he does not plan to direct a comic-book movie, citing standout work by Sam Raimi and Matt Reeves.
• The 2005 film was directed by Tim Story, grossed about $333 million worldwide, and received largely negative reviews, and Columbus has previously said he favored using CGI for The Thing.