As IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA Director Matt Shakman has prepared the direction of Marvel’s FANTASTIC FOUR

Director Matt Shakmanknown for his work on the hit comedy series It’s always sunny in Philadelphiais set to take on the long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe Fantastic Four movie. As he prepares for this monumental project, Shakman reflects on how his experiences with the irreverent Paddy’s Pub gang influenced his creative process and approach to storytelling.

In a recent interview with ComicBook, Shakman delved into how to work on It’s always sunny in Philadelphia it was a crucial factor in shaping his creative perspective. He emphasized the need to embrace both playfulness and precision in the filmmaking process. The unique combination of these elements, embodied by the chaotic yet meticulously crafted humor of the Paddy’s Pub gang, left an indelible mark on Shakman’s creative DNA.

Shakman highlighted the delicate balance between playfulness and precision, emphasizing the need for a director to maintain a childlike curiosity while adhering to a rigorous approach. This duality, he suggests, is essential not only in comedy but in any creative endeavor, and it’s a philosophy he carries with him into every project he does, including the highly anticipated Fantastic Four film.

He explained: “I learned so much from working It’s always sunny in the years. Those guys bring a unique combination of playfulness and precision, and I think you have to have both of those things in everything you do. You still have to be a kid in the sandbox playing and inventing, but you also have to be rigorous about what you’re doing, and comedy is even more rigorous than anything else. Precision in creating something fun is often much more difficult than making something really complicated work with special effects. So playfulness and precision.”

The director shared insights into the improvisational nature of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and how it became a driving force in his creative process. The show’s emphasis on the “Yes, and” rule of improvisation – in which each participant accepts and builds on the contributions of others – has become a guiding principle for Shakman. This collaborative spirit, according to him, is the essence of creativity and the key to successful collaborations, whether on a large-scale project like Monarch: Legacy of the Monsters or a much smaller project like It’s always sunny.

He added: “And there’s so much improvisation on that show that the rule of improvisation, which maybe you’ve heard when you improvise, is to say yes and. If you’re in an improv skit with someone, you say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor,” and they say, “No, you’re not.” That’s it. What do you do? And that rule of improvisation is a really good thing for the creative process. Yes and Yes, I like what you’re bringing. Now let’s do this too plus this.

Shakman went on to discuss how the spirit of collaboration and improvisation of his time with Always sunny crew has “infected” all his future works. Openness to new ideas, the willingness to play with the unexpected and the ability to exploit each other’s contributions have become important aspects of his directorial style.

He said: “I think the essence of collaboration and it’s the way I think about something good, whether it’s a giant, fantastic show like Monarch made across continents, or whether it’s something, Paddy’s Pub done for two cents with four or five people. So that spirit infects, I think, or informs, I should say, everything I do.”

I hope that as Shakman takes the helm of the Fantastic Four, we can expect to see a unique blend of irreverent playfulness and meticulous precision in bringing Marvel’s First Family to the big screen. His background in comedy, honed on the set of It’s always sunny in Philadelphiapromises to infuse the film with a refreshing and dynamic energy.