The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $333.5 million globally. It was followed by a sequel titled Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which was released in 2007. Despite its success, a third installment was canceled and a reboot was ordered.

Ioan Gruffudd, who notably portrayed Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four duology, reflected on the scrapped plans for a proposed third film that never came to be. In a Q&A with Vulture tied to the release of Marvel’s new take on the storied comic book family,

Ioan Gruffudd is opening up why a third installation of the previous Fantastic Four series (in which he portrayed Reed Richards) never came to theaters.