Marvel’s First Family is back on the big screen for the first time in a decade with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. With the newest iteration of the iconic heroes, many are looking back at older tales of the team, even including some of the cast members. 

The Fantastic Four have been on the big screen several times in the past. On top of a canceled film from the 90s, there was Tim Story’s Fantastic Four in 2005, followed by its sequel Rise Of The Silver Surfer in 2007, as well as a 2015 film based on the comics. Although there was never a third film for the 2005 team, many thought there would be. 

Hollywood Reporter notes that the main star of both Fantastic Four and Rise Of The Silver Surfer, Ioan Gruffudd, recently sat down for an interview and elaborated on the expectations of a third film in the series. 

Gruffudd explained that the production on the second film, especially working with Silver Surfer’s performer Doug Jones, was particularly enjoyable. On top of that, he felt that both films were not only successful, but also fun for fans to experience. 

“So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control,” he went on to tell Vulture. 

By comparison, comic book movies of the time usually resulted in trilogies. The same year of Silver Surfer, 2007, also saw Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy come to a close, albeit premature, with Spider-Man 3. Similarly, the X-Men trilogy had just ended the year prior with X-Men: The Last Stand. Even DC was building its own trilogy, with the second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight, set to release the following year. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.