Major questions have loomed over the status of 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four sequel ever since the early box office reports started tumbling in, though the studio has now all but cancelled the mooted follow-up, after effectively removing the June 9, 2017 release date.
While the initial due date was tentative at best, Box Office Mojo has revealed that Fox has altered the posting to TBD – to be determined, that is, but does that really spell the death knell for Marvel’s First Family? Despite a meagre box office return, not to mention those damning reviews, for a time it seemed as though Fox was ready to push ahead with a potential Fantastic Four 2 regardless, with writer-producer Simon Kinberg keen to reunite the principal actors for another bout of superhero chaos.
Alas, any progress has now appeared to have halted, and the best possible scenario would be that Fox has simply delayed the sequel until a later date, though there’s no denying that today’s tidbit reflects poorly on its chances of one day making it onto the silver screen. Perhaps what’s more surprising is the fact that Fox hasn’t filled the opportune window with another release.
As things stand, Brad Pitt’s zombie-infested sequel World War Z 2 is primed to open on June 9, too, with follow-ups to both Pixar’s Cars franchise and Kingsman expected to arrive the following week. Will 20th Century Fox adhere to its original suggestion and confirm Deadpool 2 for the vacant 2017 slot? Or could we be seeing early plans for the future of Bryan Singer’s X-Men universe? Time will tell.
Fantastic Four 2 was once expected to hit on June 9, 2017, though we wouldn’t hold our breath for the return of Marvel’s First Family anytime soon.
