A "Fantastic Four" Follow-Up

Mon., Dec. 5, 2005 1:45 PM PST by Josh Grossberg

It's clobbering time again.

Fox has green-lighted a sequel to Fantastic Four that will bring back the quartet of squabbling superheroes on July 4, 2007.

Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic), Jessica Alba (Invisible Woman), Chris Evans (Human Torch) and Michael Chiklis (the Thing) are all expected to return for the second go-round, having signed initial three-picture deals.

Not coming back, however, is their nemesis, Julian McMahon, aka the magnetically charged, steely-eyed Dr. Victor Von Doom. Per trade reports, he's already signed to star in the thriller Premonition with Sandra Bullock.

And every comic book flick needs a good story; hence, Fox is bringing back director Tim Story, who guided the film to $320 million in worldwide ticket sales. Story, whose previous credits included the comedies Barbershop and Taxi, reportedly was wooed back with a seven-figure deal.

No word on the plot, but Story promises to deliver the mutant goods, and then some.

"We tried to do something different than the brooding, dark setting you usually get in superhero films," Story tells Daily Variety. "The key to that movie was how to play with a comedic tone and the action and have it feel respectable to the genre and the franchise and still be fun.

"By the end [of the first movie], we'd found the right note and then you want to put the band back together," he continues. "The universe of villains is vast, and now that everyone's been introduced, you can just get right to it. That's why so many superhero sequels improve on the original."

While Story wouldn't divulge details on the new nemesis, Fantastic Four 2's biggest foe could be Spider-Man 3, which is opening two months earlier, in May 2007, and is projected to be one of the juggernauts of the year.

This is the second time the superhero foursome has staked out a July 4 debut. The film was supposed to open last Independence Day weekend, but Fox pushed the film back to July 8 to avoid facing off against Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake for Paramount.

Story is currently working on two small-screen pilots for 20th Century Fox TV. The first, The 12th Man, is a half-hour comedy inspired by NBA scrub Paul Shirley, who keeps a blog about his experiences keeping the bench warm on the Phoenix Suns. He's also helming Primary, an hourlong drama focusing on a couple who also happen to be hostage negotiators.

If all goes well with the script, Story expects to roll cameras on Fantastic Four 2 early next year. And for those jonesing for more of the quartet, the DVD of the original drops Tuesday.