FANTASTIC FOUR 2 Moves Out Of STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII’s Way

One of the pleasant surprises in yesterday’s announcements from Disney concerning the Star Wars franchise was the movement of Star Wars: Episode 8 from its expected December 2017 premier forward seven months to the more traditional for the franchise release date of May 26, 2017. Apparently, though, the surprise wasn’t so pleasant for Fox, who had the sequel to their Fantastic Four film that will be premiering this August set for a June 2, 2017 release. Perhaps to give the Star Wars juggernaut a bit more room to flex its muscles at the box office, Fox has moved the release date for Fantastic Four 2 a week to June 9, 2017.

Of course, this move presupposes that the first Fantastic Four film does well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel going forward. Buzz on the project, which is helmed by Chronicle director Josh Trank, has been mixed at best. Reports that the film may be straying from core elements of the popular five decade old comic book franchise have been circulating for some time, causing many fans to raise concerns. The studio has only recently begun to release photos and a trailer for the film, none of which have really help to allay those concerns.

The Fantastic Four will feature Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell as the titular quartet of young scientists who undergo a transformation in the midst of an experiment that leaves them with superpowers that they use to fight evil.

Meanwhile, Warner Brothers still has their The LEGO Batman Movie scheduled for that May 26, 2017 slot, but expect that to move shortly.