‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Helmer Jon Watts Reveals Why He Quit Directorial Job!!

Jon Watts will always be known for his work on the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, but many Marvel fans will remember he was also going to tackle another project for the studio that he ultimately backed out of. Watts was the first name attached to direct the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie, but around four months after the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Watts exited the project. He was later replaced by Matt Shakman, who had previously worked with Marvel on WandaVision, the 2021 MCU Disney+ series led by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.

Collider’s Steve Weintraub recently moderated a panel with Watts at the Mediterrane Film Festival, and he asked what led to him leaving The Fantastic Four project after he had found so much success through Spider-Man, saying, “We shot No Way Home during the pandemic, or like one or two weeks of shooting at that time. And we all remember how difficult that experience was. We’re very fortunate to be where so many people were at work. But just the emotional strain of having to go through all these COVID-19 protocols while trying to make something creative and also trying to make sure that your cast and crew are safe. Literally, people could die if you do things wrong.” He continued:

“That and the post-production process as well was very difficult because when you’re doing VFX, there is like there’s a whole international component to it. We’re using vendors from all over the world, and the supply chain has been interrupted because of COVID. It was really hard to get effects done in a traditional way. And I had committed to Fantastic Four in between the second and third Spider-Man movies, so that had already been a process. But by the time the work was done, I went in to get it back into the story for Fantastic Four. And I said, ‘I am out of gas,’ like the COVID weighed on me for like a year, when I just knew I didn’t have it. I didn’t know what it would have taken to make that greater.”

All human beings have their limits. Watts ultimately made the right call, though, as he went on to continue his work with Disney by bringing the studio Skeleton Crew, the 2024 Star Wars series that holds a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Fantastic Four, which has now added First Steps to the end of its title, also seems to be in fine shape despite Watts’ departure. The film cast Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby to play Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman, with Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) starring as The Human Torch and The Thing. Weintraub also asked Watts how much of what audiences will see in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is leftover from his input before he left the project, and he confirmed that some things like the “main villain” and period piece aspects were his idea:

“I don’t know exactly what happens. I haven’t seen it. I’ve seen the trailers, I’ve heard a couple of things, but I think it’s pretty close to what we had initially come up with in our story. Obviously, it evolves with time, but the main villain, the basic threat, the alt-’60s. The retrofuturism version of The Fantastic Four seemed so cool. So, I’m very happy that that stuff is there. It’s going to be a totally surreal experience for me to go and watch that movie.”

Is Jon Watts Directing the Next MCU ‘Spider-Man’ Movie?

Jon Watts is not directing the next MCU Spider-Man movie, which has been titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for Marvel, has boarded the project as director, with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers writing the script. The film will see Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon reprise their roles as Peter Parker, MJ, and Ned, and newcomers Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink, and Liza Colón-Zayas will also star in the film. Brand New Day begins production soon in London, and it will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.