Overview

• On the Fade to Black podcast, Columbus said a Fox executive dismissed him after he urged concept art that reflected Jack Kirby and the Silver Age of Marvel.
• He stated he had worked on a 1995 script and was producing the project, yet despite an executive-producer credit he "had nothing to do with" the finished film.
• Columbus said the experience "probably soured" him on superhero movies, adding that acclaimed entries like Spider-Man 2 and The Batman ended his interest in making one.
• Tim Story ultimately directed the 2005 film starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, which grossed about $333 million worldwide and received negative reviews.
• Reports also note his earlier push for a CGI Thing and a more comic-faithful design, parallels commentators see echoed by 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.