MarvelBlog News for August 31st, 2025

This week: we find out how long Fantastic Four films have had behind-the-scenes problems.

Also, Chloe Zhao blames the infinite, and Jackie Chan takes credit for something that hasn’t happened yet.

Yes, we’ve got plenty of weirdness in MarvelBlog News.

Hollaback Tim Story

We all know that Tim Story directed Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Well, I know that. You may or may not realize that the director of Barbershop and Ride Along worked for Fox.

Apparently, that wasn’t always the plan. In a story I once covered but haven’t thought about in 20 years, Fox fired a guy.

Specifically, the studio kicked a famous director off the project, and we just learned why.

Chris Columbus, best known for family-friendly content such as Home Alone and Harry Potter, had the gig first.

Columbus made sense as a choice for Marvel’s First Family. After all, he was just coming off two Potter films.

As one of the hottest directors in the world, Columbus represented a coup for Fox.

Alas, the Fox of the early 21st century didn’t really want free thinkers, just robots.

You can check the Fox television graveyard for proof of how many talented creators the studio chased off.

In His Own Words

In the film division, Fox already faced all sorts of problems with Bryan Singer and didn’t want more.

So, according to Columbus, as soon as he pushed back, he got dumped from Fantastic Four.

Columbus describes the sequence of events as “a weird situation.” Here’s what he says:

“On the first ‘Fantastic Four,’ I had worked on a script. There were a lot of writers involved.

“They were about to make a movie and I was producing it. I met with the director and had some ideas.

“I basically said, ‘Some of this conceptual art should feel more like Jack Kirby, the creator of the Fantastic Four, and should feel more like the Silver Age of Marvel.’

“I left that meeting, and on the way back from my house, I got a call from the head of 20th Century Fox saying I was fired and had too much of an opinion.”

That sounds oh so very Fox, doesn’t it? A director shares a vision for an excellent, respectful story.

Then, he gets fired for trying to think for himself. Fox Studios was an absolute trainwreck back then.

Of course, those of us who have watched The Fantastic Four: First Steps know the funniest part.

In the early 2000s, Columbus shared a vision for the same movie Marvel made in 2025.

Fox didn’t want it back then because the studio was run by brain-dead chimpanzees.

This particular reveal wouldn’t even make my top ten of dumbest things Fox did back then.

One of them was overlooking the actual crimes committed by Singer, but that’s a different story.

Fox only cared about making money in the most simplistic way possible back then, and, well, not much has changed.

Jackie Chan’s Latest Adventure

I love Jackie Chan. Really, I do. Nobody would own every episode of Jackie Chan Adventures if they didn’t.

Still, I may not love the actor as much as he loves himself.

Chan’s a self-hype machine of the highest order, a shameless self-promoter.

That reality came to the forefront this week as Chan somehow made a Marvel movie all about him.

I’m not even joking, as the actor gave away what might have been a trade secret about a new film.

Apparently, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.

Chan told a Chinese publication the following:

“I went to watch their rehearsals, and the director was quite surprised to see me. I made sure he understood that they are part of my team.”

I read that as, “What are you doing on my set?”

“It’s okay. I’m Jackie Chan.”

Whether or not the director liked or accepted that response, it didn’t matter as Chan continued from there.

The actor stated that Spider-Man: Brand New Day was taking inspiration from his films.

I won’t lie to you. This one gave me a doubletake, as I’ve seen a lot of those movies.

If Sony’s doing a Spider-Man movie with a fight in a wind tunnel, I’m here for it. Have you ever seen this?

Sure, the acting sets back the women’s movement by at least a century, but it’s a fabulous fight.

Still, I suspect that Chan heard what he wanted to hear while (unrequested) on set.

We’ll find out when the first trailer debuts, as I’m genuinely curious how accurate this claim proves to be.

Marvel Miscellany

Chloe Zhao continued her media tour this week, and she said something else interesting.

Despite the fact that Zhao has won an Academy Award, the holy grail in cinema, she’s still licking her wounds.

Zhao has placed a great deal of thought into what went wrong with Eternals, a fair question.

The director now believes that the problem stems from having no financial restraints.

According to her, the budget was limitless, and that infinite bank account proved her undoing.

Zhao feels that the lack of limitations hurt the film. She didn’t have to make any choices because of it.

Weirdly, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this criticism, as it impacted Secret Invasion as well.

I mentioned during the Agatha All Along recaps that I don’t view it as coincidental that the budget got cut.

With so little money available per episode, the production team had to get more creative.

Zhao didn’t have that, which may explain, at least partially, why Eternals is such a mess.

Kumail Nanjiani also spoke this week, and he indicated that he expected an Eternals video game.

When he signed the contract, he basically gave away a decade of his life, only for Marvel never to call again.

Well, there’s Marvel’s What If…?, but it’s a minuscule fraction of what the actor expected.

Finally, just in case you’ve forgotten, Thunderbolts* is on Disney+ now. You should watch it.

 

 

 

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Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, Thanks for reading!