While Fox was busy ruminating on the best possible way to reintroduce the Fantastic Four, Marvel wasted no time in establishing its ever-expanding cinematic universe, and after the release of The Avengers in 2012, the studio has only continued to stitch its intricate web of characters together under one shared umbrella. Fox, meanwhile, held the X-Men series as its undisputed flagship, even rebooting the mutant superhero franchise with the excellent First Class in 2011, thereby paving the way for Days of Future Past and next year’s Apocalypse.
But looking further afield, director and executive producer Bryan Singer has hinted that it may soon be time for the two rosters to crossover. Speaking with Yahoo! Movies, the X-Men: Apocalypse helmer revealed that “ideas are in play” for the two universes to come together.
“Those ideas are in play,” he revealed. “That would be a natural match-up because they’re both ensemble films and there is a natural mechanism by which to do it.”
Considering that each ensemble has a long history of crossovers throughout Marvel comics, it’s a wonder such a coming together hasn’t already happened, particularly given the seemingly insatiable appetite for superhero blockbusters. As Yahoo! points out, one key factor that could bring this nascent vision to a reality is scribe Simon Kinberg, who has worked across Fantastic Four and X-Men: Apocalypse, not to mention Days of Future Past. Kinberg has flexed his screenwriting muscles in the past, particularly when it came to the latter film which featured a massive ensemble of personas.
Lifted from the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four, Josh Trank’s soon-to-be-released actioner will revisit the origins of Marvel’s First Family, albeit it with a more grounded and realistic approach. Starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordon and Jamie Bell as the titular foursome, Trank’s retooled vision will touch down in theaters on August 7.
What do you think of this purported crossover, though? Indeed is an X-Men/Fantastic Four film something you’ve been longing for? Why let DC and Marvel have all the fun, right?