Vancouver – The first family of Marvel is returning to Vancouver, as Fantastic Four 2 begins shooting in August for Twentieth Century Fox, under director Tim Story, who also helmed the first installment. Most of the key players are said to be returning, including producers Bernd Eichinger (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), Ralph Winter (Lost), Marvel Comics CEO Avi Arad and screenwriter Mark Frost (Twin Peaks). Ioan Gruffudd (King Arthur), Michael Chiklis (The Shield), Chris Evans (Cellular) and Jessica Alba (Sin City) will all return as well. Details about the plot are still sketchy, but Internet rumors swirl about the possibility of an appearance by comic icon Silver Surfer.

The sequel is being earmarked for a June 15, 2007 release, moved from its original July 4 date, which would have seen it go head-to-head with the upcoming Transformers feature from DreamWorks. The first Fantastic Four film shot in Vancouver and went on to amass more than $300 million at the box office last summer.