Fantastic Four’s Director Confirms That Reed Richards’ Lab Has Three Distinct Sections, And Tells Us What They’re For (Plus Shoots Down One Rumor From The Comics)

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A key aspect of touring a film set is experiencing real locations designed to create an immersive fictional world. When I went on the set visit for Avengers: Infinity War in Atlanta, I saw T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and other Avengers greet each other in Wakanda, but outside of a platform, all we saw were green screens instead. In contrast, on the set of Doctor Strange, I’ve seen replicas of Kamar-Tak, and on the Superman set, I even saw an exterior of The Daily Planet. During a visit to the set of The Fantastic Four: First Steps outside London in 2024, there were many exciting builds as well.

One key idea emphasized by director Matt Shakman and the team behind The Fantastic Four is that they’re striving for a film with grand ambition yet realistic execution – a challenging feat given the colossal nature of villains like Galactus. However, during our set visit, we got to explore genuinely constructed environments such as The Baxter Building, Yancy Street, a 1960s-inspired Times Square replica, and Reed Richards’ lab, which was an impressive, sprawling set that unveiled fresh details with every new glimpse.

Outside Richard’s laboratory, situated on a distinct floor within The Baxter Building, Matt Shakman briefed TopMob about the setup.

If you all could pop in and have a quick look, it’s like something straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey – a futuristic laboratory. There are three distinct areas. The first, or blue area, functions as Mission Control, where Reed conducts his searches for extraterrestrial life and performs space experiments, overseeing his telescope among other tasks. The middle section serves as his Thinking Zone, featuring the world’s largest adjustable chalkboards, perfect for pondering the universe’s biggest mysteries. Lastly, there’s a red zone at the far end, which is out of sight, serving as his Engineering Circle, where he creates and builds inventions by hand. In essence, it’s the ultimate workspace for an extraordinary mind.

After the debut of the trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps“, there were conversations about Pedro Pascal not displaying Reed Richards’ elasticity through stretching. That observation is correct, but I’d counter that Reed’s true superpower lies in his intelligence. This intellectual prowess enables him to match wits with his formidable enemy, Victor Von Doom, who will reportedly be portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and it might even show up in “The Fantastic Four“, the film set to hit theaters this year?

It’s just a gossip, and I was curious about a rumor I’d heard regarding The Negative Zone. This dimension, often featured in Fantastic Four comics, is speculated to be used for transporting the FF from their world to Earth-616, where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is located. However, when I directly asked Matt Shakman about this, he was straightforward and said that he wouldn’t confirm or deny it.

The Negative Zone is not a part of our film. That doesn’t mean it won’t appear later.

In the future, who knows? Perhaps in a future Avengers film anything could happen! The experiences we had while working on The Fantastic Four set indicate that this movie will explore uncharted territories of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), delving into fresh cosmic corners, and introducing thrilling new dimensions and galaxies. Marvel’s esteemed family is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25th. Stay tuned for updates on all comic book-related news in Hollywood!

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2025-06-07 16:07