It’s been one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood for months, but it’s finally confirmed. After months of rumors and speculation, the cast of Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” movie has been confirmed by Marvel on Valentine’s Day (see the image below). Pedro Pascal, who was already reported to be in the mix, will play Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic; “Mission Impossible” star Vanessa Kirby will play the Invisible Woman; Sue Storm, “The Bear” breakout Ebon Moss-Bacharach will star as Ben Grimm, The Thing, and Joseph Quinn from the last season of “Stranger Things” will play Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch.
Directed by Matt Shakman (Marvel’s “WandaVision,” “Game Of Thrones”), “The Fantastic Four” was written by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, based on characters created by Marvel’s Stan Lee. “The Fantastic Four” is known as Marvel’s “first family” as most of the team is related; Reed Richards, the leader, is married to Sue Storm, Johnny Storm is her brother, and Grim is something of an honorary uncle to Johnny in the comics. The group is one of the pinnacle teams from the earliest days of Marvel Comics and is generally regarded as crucial as The Avengers.
Pascal has blown up in the last few years with lead roles in “The Mandalorian” and HBO’s “The Last Of Us.” Kirby gained fame on “The Crown” before she graduated to the “Mission Impossible” films and became a coveted star. Moss-Bacharach was known for “Girls” early on in his career but has really blown up as a fan-favorite character on FX’s “The Bear.” Similarly, Quinn broke out as a new member of the “Stranger Things” ensemble cast in season four.
20th Century Fox obviously already made three “Fantastic Four” movies, but none were well-regarded, with 2015’s “Fantastic Four” being regarded as a dismal bomb. This “Fantastic Four” film would be Marvel Studios’ first attempt to integrate them into the MCU for the first time.
In a nod to fan casting, Marvel cast John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in a brief cameo in “Doctor Strange And The Multiverse of Madness,” as a multiverse version of the character. While brief, the appearance summed up Mr. Fantastic well: a leader with superhuman stretching ability who is also regarded as one of the most brilliant scientists on the planet up there with great minds like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
In the comics, the Fantastic Four team gets their powers in a freak space accident. Sue Storm can turn invisible and create telekinetic force fields, Johnny Storm can fly and control fire, and Grimm essentially turns into a super-powered pile of rocks, considered one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe.
Rumors of this cast have been circling since last summer, but the SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed all talks and negotiations. Clearly, schedules have been worked out now, and everyone has signed on the dotted line.
It’s unclear how “The Fantastic Four” will enter the MCU, but the Quantum Realm has long been rumored to be a device to explain their absence from Marvel’s Earth all this time.
“Fantastic Four” is now set for a July 25, 2025, release, shifting two months from its original May 2025 date. The team is expected to be an integral part of the next two big “Avengers” movies, and at least “Avengers: Secret Wars,” a comic book supergroup storyline they were a major part of.