Michael Chiklis Says Fox’s Original Fantastic Four Team Deserved a Third Movie
Michael Chiklis is once again standing by Fox’s original Fantastic Four films. During an appearance at C2E2 (first reported by Screen Rant), the actor, who played Ben Grimm in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, argued that the original team deserved a third movie, reviving a conversation that has followed that cast for years. He explains, “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. “
That sentiment lines up with comments made last year by Ioan Gruffudd, who said the expectation during the original run was that the series would become a trilogy. Speaking to Vulture, Gruffudd said “the mindset was that we were going to do three,” adding that the second film was seen internally as just as successful as the first and equally enjoyable for fans. He also said the momentum was there, even if the final decision was ultimately outside the cast’s control.
Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios
The old Fantastic Four movies are still part of the conversation
Part of the reason this debate keeps resurfacing is that the numbers never painted the Tim Story films as outright disasters. The 2005 Fantastic Four earned about $333.5 million worldwide, while Rise of the Silver Surfer followed with roughly $301.9 million globally. Neither film won over critics in a major way, but both performed far better commercially than the 2015 reboot, which finished with about $167.9 million worldwide and a far worse critical reception.
The timing also makes sense. Fantastic Four is back in the spotlight after Marvel Studios launched The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July 2025, and that renewed attention has naturally sent fans back through earlier versions of the team on screen. Whether or not a third Fox-era installment ever would have happened under different circumstances, Chiklis’ latest remarks underline something that has only become clearer with time: that original cast still has defenders, and their unfinished trilogy remains one of superhero cinema’s enduring what-ifs.
But let’s be honest, with Johnny Storm popping up in Deadpool & Wolverine as well as rumored legacy cameos in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, anyone could appear at this point.
