After the surprise announcement that Jon Watts is stepping down from directing Marvel Studios' upcoming Fantastic Four film, the question is now who would be best to take over for the project. The Fantastic Four property has had a turbulent journey on film, from the unreleased Corman movie in the 1990s all the way to Josh Trank's Fant4stic in 2015. That means Marvel needs the best director they can find in the business to finally give its first family a fighting chance on the big screen.
Fortunately, Marvel doesn't have to go far to find the perfect director to take over for Watts. This director has had plenty of experience with big-budget films, working with Disney and taking charge of a superhero film starring a family where each member has very distinct powers. The perfect director for Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is Brad Bird.
On top of being a fan favorite for the job for many years, there are numerous reasons why Bird is the perfect choice for Fantastic Four, some of which are glaringly obvious while others are a little more subtle. But there is no harm in starting with the frighteningly obvious: the first reason is that he has already directed the two best Fantastic Four films out there -- they just happen to be called The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2.
The two Incredibles films are titans of the genre because Bird leans into well-defined, well-motivated characters and, as such, creates films with thematic resonance. They are typically projects about family and superhero features. And that's already the perfect approach for a Fantastic Four film -- the most appealing aspect of these characters for the last 60 years in comics has always been the family dynamic between the members of the team.
Furthermore, Bird is an expert in using the superpowers as an extension of the characters, rather than a flashy gimmick. As Bird explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Men were expected to be strong, so I made the dad super strong. Mothers are pulled in 20 different directions at once, so I had her be elastic. Teenage girls are defensive and shy and insecure, so I made Violet invisible and gave her force fields. Ten-year-olds are energy balls, so I made Dash super fast. And babies are unknown! So Jack-Jack either has no powers, or every power in the universe, because babies are all about possibility."
There are also more subtle reasons why Brad Bird is the perfect choice to direct a Fantastic Four film. He has plenty of experience working with big-budget filmmaking in both the live-action and animation departments. And that's not even mentioning that he helped rejuvenate the Mission Impossible franchise through Ghost Protocol, aided The Simpsons in reaching its peak in the early '90s and made childhoods through animated masterpieces like The Iron Giant and Ratatouille.
All that to say, Bird is already an expert in crafting the perfect Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster -- so long as the studio lets him roam free and put his best foot forward. He knows how to craft inventive set pieces that feel tense and real through the camera -- who could forget Ethan Hunt's intense climb on the side of the Burj Khalifa. Additionally, his experience in animation is more invaluable than it may initially seem. The production pipeline for a modern blockbuster, especially a Marvel one, is steeped in visual effects and CG animation. The level of animated work that goes into these films means that, in some ways, they are more animated than people realize. After all, animation is a medium, not a genre.
Bird's expertise in animation and live-action means he is already super familiar with the standard production process for Marvel blockbusters. He could create some of the most spectacular action and visuals in the superhero genre and couple it with the heart seen in most of his projects. Sure, Marvel could choose a million who would be great to take over Fantastic Four, but Bird would be the best of them.
