Rumor: Fantastic Four / X-Men Crossover Planned For 2018

Rumors of a possible Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover have sprung up periodically for the past several years, and they're back again today thanks to a new report. This time, the word is Fox wants the two teams to share the screen for a 2018 feature. Read all about the latest Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover rumor after the jump. 

Last year, Fox locked down a bunch of release dates for its upcoming slate. Fantastic Four 2 was pencilled in for July 14, 2017, and then a mystery Marvel movie for July 13, 2018. And we do mean mystery — the studio still hasn't said whether it'll be an X-Men movie, or a Fantastic Four movie, or what.

Now Latino Review suggests there's a good reason for that confusion. According to their sources, Fox wants that 2018 release to be a Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover. That plan is contingent upon a couple of things, however. First they have to see how Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot fares, and then how Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse does with its new recruits.

Plot details are still sparse. We don't know if the teams are battling each other, or teaming up, or even which characters will appear. It's probably a safe bet the Fantastic Four will consist of Trank's photogenic young cast, but X-Men: Apocalypse is the end of the line for some of that series' stars.

Again, this is just a rumor for now. Latino Review cautions it's "far from a done deal." Besides, there are several other possibilities for that date, such as an X-Force movie, a New Mutants movie, or a Gambit or Deadpool sequel.

But shared universes are the big moneymaking trend right now. Marvel is teaming with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the MCU fold, while Warner Bros. DC sets up its own DCU with 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And these things take time to build, so if Fox is remotely interested in a Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover, it'd make sense for them to start planning now.

In public comments, the Fox brain trust has gone back and forth on the possibility of a Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover. But if I were the betting type, though, I'd say a crossover film likelier than not. And 2018 would be the perfect time to release one, with the Fantastic Four film series two films in.