The Fantastic Four’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach Explains Why It Isn’t ‘Productive’ to Watch Previous Movies for Thing Role

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ebon Moss-Bachrach recently shared why he will not watch 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four movies before playing The Thing in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot.

While 20th Century’s Fantastic Four movies have their fans, Moss-Bachrach has revealed that he hasn’t seen them and seemingly won’t, at least until after he has wrapped production on Marvel Studios ‘ The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

“I haven’t seen those movies,” the actor shared with Entertainment Weekly . “When I got hired to do this, it didn’t feel like that would be productive to watch those movies. People ask me about ‘How is this different from those other ones?’ and I don’t think it’s helpful to make something in opposition to something else.”

Moss-Bachrach continued, “We’re really just making our own specific thing. This is no discredit to those movies. But we’re telling our own very specific story. Like any great play, you can cast a play with four people, and then recast it with four different people, and it’s the same play, but it’s a completely different experience.”

Before Marvel Studios regained the rights to the Fantastic Four in 2019, 20th Century Fox released three live-action movies featuring Marvel’s First Family. The first two — Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) — were directed by Tim Story and starred Ioan Gruffudd as Mister Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis as The Thing.

After deeming Rise of the Silver Surfer a financial disappointment, 20th Century rebooted the franchise in 2015 with Miles Teller as Mister Fantastic, Kate Mara as Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan as Human Torch, and Jamie Bell as The Thing. Unfortunately, 2015’s Fantastic Four was an even bigger box office flop than Rise of the Silver Surfer, barely earning more than its $120 million production budget.

Who else stars in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

Starring alongside Moss-Bachrach in The Fantastic Four: First Steps are Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, with Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson cast as Silver Surfer and Galactus, respectively. John Malkovich, Paul Walter Hauser, and Natasha Lyonne have also been cast in undisclosed roles.

Production on First Steps began in July 2024 in London with director Matt Shakman at the helm. While plot details remain under wraps, the movie is confirmed not to take place in the MCU, instead being set in an alternate retro-futuristic 1960s universe.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25, 2025, as part of Phase 6 of the MCU.