After months of speculation, Marvel have confirmed the cast for Fantastic Four with Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing.
As part of the casting announcement, Disney has swapped the release dates of “The Fantastic Four” (now set for July 25, 2025) and “Thunderbolts” (now set for May 2, 2025). Those are two of four Marvel tentpoles currently set to open in 2025, along with “Captain America: Brave New World” in February and “Blade” in November. Four Marvel films are also scheduled for 2026, including “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” That’s a ramp up from 2024: Marvel only has “Deadpool & Wolverine” for theaters, on July 26.
Per usual with Marvel, story details remain scant. But in the comics, the Fantastic Four are astronauts who are remade into superheroes after they’re exposed to cosmic rays in space. Reed gains the ability to stretch his body to astonishing lengths. Sue, Reed’s girlfriend (and eventual wife), can manipulate light to become invisible and cast powerful forcefields. Johnny, Sue’s brother, can turn his body into fire which gives him the ability to fly. And Ben, Reed’s best friend, is totally transformed into, well, a Thing, with giant, orange boulders for a body, giving him super strength — and a perpetual heavy heart about his seemingly monstrous appearance.
Matt Shakman (“WandaVision,” “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”) will direct “Fantastic Four,” from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. News of Pascal’s casting first leaked in November, but Marvel had otherwise tried to keep a tight lid on who would play Marvel’s First Family, considered widely to be among the most significant superhero characters ever created. Filming is expected to begin by the summer.
One of the most in demand actors in Hollywood, Pascal will likely first shoot Season 2 of HBO’s “The Last of Us” before stretching into shape to play Richards. After several standout performances in British TV, Quinn broke out as the wily and heartbreaking Eddie Munson on Season 4 of “Stranger Things.” And Moss-Bachrach recently won an Emmy for his performance as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich on FX’s “The Bear.”
Stream Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian on Disney+ now.
