Michael Giacchino Wrote a Whole Other Score for Fantastic Four

Whether you think The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a true return to form for Marvel or a middling superhero outing, there’s one thing on which we can all agree. The score by Michael Giacchino is incredible, among the best in the esteemed composer’s career.

But to hear him tell it, the aspirational, ‘60s infused theme wasn’t his original plan. “I actually wrote a whole other score for this film that you probably won’t ever hear,” Giacchino revealed at a Deadline panel. Further, the composer intended to use that other score until he actually played the piece alongside First Steps. “I just remember seeing it for the first time with the music and something didn’t feel right.”

It’s a little shocking that anyone would consider a Giacchino score unsuitable, even if it’s Giacchino himself. His career spans three decades, starting with work on video game versions of The Lion King and The Lost World: Jurassic Park onto the J.J. Abrams television shows Alias and Lost, and then to movies such as Star Trek, The Incredibles, and The Batman. He even has stepped into the director’s chair to helm a project, the Marvel special Werewolf by Night.

But clearly, a lot of his success stems from the devotion to a project’s tone and sound that drove him to do away with the first Fantastic Four score. He demonstrated that willingness when he continued to write for the MCU debut of Marvel’s first family even and the film changed forms.

According to Deadline, Giacchino started working on the score when MCU boss Kevin Feige asked him to write for a teaser to be shown at SDCC. He went further to make themes for Galactus and the Silver Surfer, to key elements of the movie. Yet, because Giacchino wrote this score before director Matt Shakman began actually shooting the movie, it ended up not gelling with the actual film.

As frustrating as it may be to have to scrap an entire score, Giacchino wasn’t the only one willing to change his work to meet the demands of the project. Giacchino’s first score helped Shakman solidify his own concept for the movie. “What was really fun was Matt took that to the set,” Giacchino recalled. “It was helpful to them to figure out oh, that’s the movie we’re making. This is the tone. It’s so rare to do that. I think anyone who’s making movies should hire the composer first and then have them write their suite because then they can all get on the same page on day 1.”

For Giacchino, this back and forth is just part of the filmmaking process. “To me, movies are the greatest group art form there is. You get to work with every amazing artist known to man,” he explained. In fact, Giacchino plans to put that principle into practice, going back into the director’s seat, this time on a project for Disney’s competitor. “I’m going to be directing for Warner Bros,” he told the panel. “It’s going to be really fun and I can’t wait to tell you more about all that.”

There’s no word on who will score Giacchino’s WB project, but it must be good to know that he has a whole other score just sitting around that he could use in a pinch.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now streaming on Disney+.