The Wild Story Behind Roger Corman's Unreleased Fantastic Four, And The Scheme To Keep The 1994 Movie's Rights

This week, Marvel Studios is releasing the highly anticipated The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25th. The upcoming Marvel movie marks the long-awaited induction of the first superhero family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third cinematic iteration of the iconic comic book characters overall… or, is it?

Years before the 2000s-era movies starring Chris Evans and Jessica Alba, an adaptation under iconic B-movie producer Roger Corman was produced that went on to have a more infamous reputation than even Josh Trank’s panned 2015 reboot, due to the fact that it was never officially released. So, what led to the 1994 Fantastic Four movie’s doom? Let’s start from the beginning…

Development Of The First Fantastic Four Movie Started In The Early 1980s

Created by celebrated comic book writer Stan Lee with legendary artist Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four is made up of the elastic Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards; the transparent, force-field-generating Susan “Invisible Woman” Storm; her flying, pyrokinetic brother, Johnny “Human Torch” Storm; and super-strong, rock-skinned pilot Ben “The Thing” Grimm. The close-knit group of super-powered vigilantes made their debut in Marvel Comics in November 1961, and their journey to the big screen began more than two decades later.

According to Robert Ito's book, Fantastic Faux!, in 1983, German producer Bernd Eichinger met with Lee to purchase the rights to produce a feature adaptation of the characters for an estimated $250,000. Years later, in 1992, with the rights at risk of expiring soon, Eichinger teamed with Roger Corman, who passed away in 2024, to produce the film for $1 million and distribute it under his New Horizons Pictures. Soon after, The Fantastic Four went into production.

The Fantastic Four Was Shot And Completed By Early 1993

Oley Sassone, known best at the time for directing music videos like Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings,” was selected to helm The Fantastic Four from a screenplay by Craig J. Nevius and Kevin Rock. Alex Hyde-White was cast as Reed Richards, alongside Rebecca Staab as Invisible Woman, Jay Underwood as Johnny Storm, and Carl Ciarfalio as The Thing, with Michael Bailey Smith appearing earlier as Ben Grimm in human form.

Joseph Culp also starred as the Fantastic Four’s arch-nemesis, Victor Von Doom (otherwise known as Dr. Doom), and Kat Green as Grimm's love interest, Alicia Masters. According to The AV Club's oral history about the film, principal photography lasted just 21 days, beginning in late December 1992 and wrapping up in January.

The Fantastic Four Was Set To Release In 1994

A May 1994 release date was set for The Fantastic Four, and the hype for the characters’ big-screen debut was real. There were plans to hold a premiere screening in January of that year at Minnesota's Mall of America. Sassone recalls to The AV Club that the mayor of Bloomington at the time wanted the day of the event to be dubbed "Fantastic Four Day” in the city.

In the months leading up to the premiere, a trailer for the film (which is available to watch on YouTube) ran in theaters across the country. Meanwhile, cast members Hyde-White and Smith also did some traveling to various comic book conventions to promote the upcoming superhero movie. It seemed like things with The Fantastic Four were on fire until, all of a sudden, the film disappeared.

The Fantastic Four Was Suddenly Shelved

The Fantastic Four was just about to hold its premiere event when plans to release it were scrapped, and the reason behind the barring has been up for debate ever since. Stan Lee said that Eichinger never intended to release it in the first place and only had the film produced to retain the rights to the property, which no one in the cast or crew, or even Corman, knew about. Another rumor suggests he hoped a more established studio would pay for a higher-budget adaptation, and you could say he got his wish as he is credited as a producer on Tim Story’s Fantastic Four movies from 2005 and 2007.

However, Eichinger would claim the opposite, adding that future Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad, later known for producing the Spider-Man movies, made a deal to pay him what he spent on the production in exchange for not releasing the film. In 2002, according to Fantastic Faux!, Without even seeing the completed film, Arad ordered to have every last copy torched. From then on, The Fantastic Four would remain invisible… or so it seemed.

Fantastic Four '94's Legacy From Infamous To Endearing

Apparently, The Fantastic Four was exhibited before it was officially destroyed, similar to the cancelled Batgirl movie’s secret funeral screenings, which is likely the origin of the bootleg VHS copies that would be passed around in the years since. Eventually, the complete film made its way online, for any curious fans to finally see and, in spite of some mixed reactions, to call it a cult favorite is not much of a stretch.

The Fantastic Four has a 3.8 rating on IMDb and a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, but hidden among the muck are fan reviews that by no means call it one of the best superhero movies, but acknowledge its potential and admire its campy tone. Marty Langford told Newsarama in 2014 that he made the documentary, Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four in protest of the fact that its legacy could only endure through bootlegs. However, Doctor Doom actor Joseph Culp wants to fix that with an online petition on Change.org to have Disney, the current owner of Marvel Studios, officially release the film, which has amassed thousands of signatures since it was started in 2024.

Considering the support that movie lovers have shown toward more recent unreleased films, such as Batgirl or Coyote vs. Acme (which thankfully earned a spot on the upcoming 2026 movie schedule, finally), I think Disney would be smart to make 1994’s The Fantastic Four officially available to the public, with a Disney+ subscription, perhaps. I would not be surprised if it boosted interest in the new 2025 movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps or, at least, gave audiences an idea of how much worse Tim Story and Josh Trank’s panned films could have been. I think that would be a more favorable fate than the doom the film has endured for decades.