'Too Much Opinion': Former Fantastic Four Director Reveals Truth Why He Was Fired on Set

Chris Columbus, who has directed blockbusters of all time like Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone films, and the first two Harry Potter movies, was once fired from the set of Fantastic Four. While he was credited as executive producer, he "had nothing to do" with the film. Find out the whole story here:

How Come the Harry Potter Director Got Fired from Fantastic Four?

"We were in a weird situation," Columbus revealed on the Fade to Black podcast, that he worked on the Fantastic Four script, "They were about to make a movie, and I was producing it. I met with the director and had some ideas."

However, here's where it already went downhill. The minute he started expressing ideas that they could work with on set, Columbus unknowingly dug his grave.

Credit: 20th Century Fox | Marvel Enterprises | Constantin Film | 1492 Pictures | Fair use for news and promotional purposes

"I basically said, 'Some of this conceptual art should feel more like Jack Kirby, the creator of the Fantastic Four, and should feel more like the Silver Age of Marvel,'" Columbus left the meeting only to receive a call from the head of 20th Century Fox to tell him he was "fired" and had "too much of an opinion."

The Academy Award nominee admitted that blowing on his chance on Fantastic Four "probably soured him a little" on the superhero genre. Though he was previously involved with Spider-Man before Sam Raimi and wrote a script for Daredevil, he has no interest in helming a comic book these days.

Apart from the "souring" experience, Columbus believed, with Matt Reeves' The Batman, for example, that "people are doing them better" than he ever could.

How Does the Original Fantastic Four Compare to First Steps?

The 2005 Fantastic Four, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, hit $333 million worldwide but earned a negative reception and reviews from critics.

Marvel Studios regained the rights and premiered Fantastic Four: First Steps last month, which starred Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm.

Credit: Marvel Studios | Fair use for news and promotional purposes

What makes the 2025 version better? Similar to the concern Columbus raised, First Steps adopted the Silver Age tone and even dedicated a meaningful tribute to Jack Kirby's creations, one that 20th Century Fox may have regretted not pursuing in the past.

Meanwhile, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will likely be available to stream on Disney+ in October or November. Stay tuned!

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