Director of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” compared the film to Nolan’s “Interstellar”

Matt Shakman speaks openly about his sources of inspiration and calls “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” the closest Marvel film to “Interstellar”.

The film “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has already been released and grossed over $218 million worldwide in its opening days—an amount approaching the opening box office of James Gunn’s “Superman”. Amid this success, director Matt Shakman has found himself in the spotlight.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he talked about the sources of inspiration that formed the foundation of the film. Among them are Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”, and “Apollo 13”. According to the director, he sought to create a sci-fi drama rather than a classic superhero blockbuster.

“T. S. Eliot said: ‘Good artists borrow, great artists steal,’ and I’m definitely not ashamed to ‘steal’ from those I love so much,” Shakman noted. “‘Interstellar’ was a major touchstone, as were ‘2001’ and ‘Apollo 13.’”

According to the director, the film’s key emotional themes are love, sacrifice, and parenthood—just as in “Interstellar”. The central plot revolves around Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who are preparing for the birth of their son, Franklin, while simultaneously trying to stop Galactus (Ralph Ineson), who threatens Earth.

Shakman emphasized that he was also inspired by personal experience:

“I put a lot of what I experienced myself into the film—as a husband and as a father. The birth of my daughter was the most fantastic moment of my life, and the birth scene in the movie brings back those exact same feelings,” he shared.  “Plus, my daughter, Maisie Shakman, made a cameo: she is rescued by Johnny Storm. I was terribly nervous that day, but she was calm and had a great time filming.”

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” became the first film of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio has high hopes for it, and the bet on a more mature and philosophical approach looks like an attempt to correct course after a string of setbacks.

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Cover author: Marvel Cover source: NoFilmSchool