Production designer Kasra Farahani has reimagined Marvel’s First Family through a dazzling retro-futuristic lens in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, drawing direct inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and the visionary architecture of Eero Saarinen and Oscar Niemeyer. Set in an alternate 1960s timeline on Earth-828, director Matt Shakman’s film presents an optimistic future where mid-century modernism collides with space-age innovation—most spectacularly realized in the team’s iconic Baxter Building headquarters and a painstakingly recreated retro-futuristic Manhattan.
Farahani’s ambitious 15-week build of Times Square became the film’s centerpiece, blending historical accuracy with speculative design. Two-thirds of the set mirrored actual 1960s New York—complete with faithfully recreated landmarks like the RKO Palace and Embassy Theater—while one-third introduced fantastical elements including a sweeping monorail system with Saarinen-esque parabolic arches. “We added this layer of retro-futurism,” Farahani explains, citing Niemeyer’s curved concrete designs as key references. This fusion extended to the streets, where vintage Checker cabs shared roads with custom-built bubble cars featuring glass domes and aerodynamic fins.
The Baxter Building itself channels Kubrick’s 2001 through its sleek, plausible futurism. Reed Richards’ lab organizes its functions through three colored zones: a red-orange prototype workshop, a yellow contemplation space with升降 chalkboards, and a blue mission control center monitoring deep space. “Kubrick captured that perfect retro-futuristic sophistication,” says Farahani, who designed the penthouse as a warm, plant-filled contrast to the building’s technological grandeur—complete with a nursery wallpapered in Eames-style rockets and planets.
The designer’s personal life unexpectedly influenced the story when his wife’s pregnancy paralleled Sue Storm’s on-screen journey. “Designing the Baxter apartment while expecting our second child let me pour that experience into the film,” he notes, revealing how Sue’s initial office transforms into a nursery as the characters’ priorities shift.
From the gleaming curves of Saarinen-inspired architecture to Kubrickian tech interfaces, The Fantastic Four: First Steps promises a visually groundbreaking take on Marvel’s foundational team—one where the optimism of 1960s space age dreams feels thrillingly alive. As Farahani puts it: “This is futurism that believes in better tomorrows.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, hitting theaters soon.
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