Spiderman director Jon Watts reveals surprising reason for quitting 'Fantastic Four'

Jon Watts, who directed Tom Holland’s starrer Spider-Man trilogy, has opened up about why he stepped back from directing the Fantastic Four reboot.

The Hollywood director was originally set to direct the movie, but after delivering Spider-Man No Way Homes he decided to quit the project in 2022.

During a recent panel at the Mediterranean Film Festival 2025, he revealed the reason why he dropped out from the movie.

“By the time No Way Home was done and out, I went in to get back into the story for Fantastic Four. I was like, ‘I am out of gas,” he shared, as per The Independent.

Recalling his experience of filming in Covid-19, Watts continued, “The COVID layer on top of making a giant movie layer, I knew I didn’t have what it would’ve taken to make that movie great. I was just out of steam, so I just needed to take some time to recover.”

“Everyone at Marvel totally understood. They had been through it with me as well, so they knew how hard and draining that experience has been; in the end, very satisfying, but at some point, if you can’t do it at the level that you feel like you need to for it to be great, then it’s better to not do it,” he added.

Before concluding, Jon Watts shared that he is excited to watch Matt Shakman's directorial superheroes movie in cinema.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released in cinemas on July 25, 2025.