The Thing actor Michael Chiklis revealed that his Fantastic Four films deserved a third film despite how poorly the 2015 reboot performed. The MCU has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of comic book adaptations. However, before its existence, 20th Century Fox brought Marvel’s first family to the big screen with the first mainstream big-screen adaptations of The Fantastic Four franchise. The two-part film series, which began with Fantastic Four in 2005 and was followed by Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007, offered audiences a unique take on the superhero team. Since the Tim Story films brought in so much money, viewers were expecting there to be another installment, but plans for a sequel to the original Fantastic Four movie were ultimately abandoned. Instead, 20th Century Fox chose to reboot the franchise in 2015 with the intention of giving fans a new version of the team. Unfortunately, this decision ended up being a huge mistake as the revival didn’t perform well at the box office and received a measly 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes and reportedly resulted in a $100 million loss for the studio. Now, nearly two decades later, Chiklis, who portrayed The Thing, revealed how he believed that his films deserved a third chapter. Speaking at C2E2, the actor explained how, while the first two films weren’t perfect, they were still successful in their own right. He added that the cancellation of another sequel in favor of a reboot was a huge missed opportunity for both the original team and 20th Century Fox.
Quite honestly, I don’t know what happened after the second one. I didn’t hear from anybody for the longest time. It is what it is, but those movies, correct me if I’m wrong, but they made three quarters of a billion dollars.
Despite not being well-received by many fans and critics, particularly regarding things such as its depiction of Galactus, unlike the reboot, both movies performed well at the box office. The first film earned $330 million worldwide against a $100 million budget, while the sequel grossed $301 million on a $130 million budget, making them commercial successes. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Marvel got back its film rights for The Fantastic Four, paving the way for a new adaptation, Fantastic Four: First Steps, which premiered in theaters in 2025. Chiklis expressed support for the new cast and praised their performances, particularly Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who played The Thing. While he had no negative feelings toward the reboot, he revealed that he and the original cast were ready to bring a third film to life.
I just feel strongly that we all really put in a great effort on those first two films, and I stand by them. I don’t have any animus towards any of the new incarnations of the Thing or the Fantastic Four. But if I do have something that sticks in my side, it is that we were supposed to do a third one, and we didn’t get to do that. And it was never made clear to us why. Ebon is wonderful in the new incarnation, and those are wonderful actors in this film. My hat is off to them, and I wish them all the best in the world. But I really had wished that we got to do that.

Although the original Fantastic Four movies are overshadowed by the MCU’s star-studded iteration, they still hold a place in the hearts of many fans. They successfully balanced humor, action, and character dynamics that have always defined the team. Their depiction of the team and individual members gave audiences a unique and memorable take on Marvel’s first family.

Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four (2015 reboot), and Fantastic Four: First Steps are all available to stream on Disney+.