The Fantastic Four: Release date, cast, plot & more
MarvelMarvel’s first family is set to make their MCU debut soon, so let’s dive into the latest details surrounding the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, including its premiere date, casting updates, and additional insights.
A major announcement at Comic-Con 2019 was the inclusion of the superhero team Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, exciting fans everywhere.
In the past, 20th Century Fox held the rights to the Fantastic Four franchise. However, the merger between Disney and Fox resulted in Marvel Studios, a Disney subsidiary, acquiring the rights to incorporate these characters into the MCU.
There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive into all the information available about the introduction of the Fantastic Four in Phase Six of the MCU.
Contents
- Fantastic Four MCU release date
- Fantastic Four MCU director & crew
- Fantastic Four MCU cast
- Fantastic Four MCU plot details
- Is there a Fantastic Four trailer?
Fantastic Four MCU release date
Fantastic Four has confirmed it’s release date will be July 25, 2025.
YouTube: Marvel EntertainmentAt San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Kevin Feige originally announced that Fantastic Four will kick off Phase Six of the MCU in November 2024. However, with lots of shake-ups in the release of other films like Blade, Deadpool 3, and Avengers: Secret Wars who knows what is set to happen.
As per The Wrap, the movie is set to start filming in early 2024. Director Matt Shakman also told Collider “Yes, we are definitely going to go in front of cameras next year [pending the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike coming to an end]. Probably the spring. [It will shoot in] London. Pinewood.”
Fantastic Four MCU director & crew
Matt Shakman will direct Fantastic Four. He’s best known for helming WandaVision, which kicked off the MCU’s Disney+ programming.
Initially, Spider-Man director Jon Watts was set to helm the Fantastic Four movie. However, in April 2022, Watts stepped down from the project, saying he wanted to take a break from superhero movies.
Late last year, The Direct reported that Shakman had signed on to direct Marvel’s Fantastic Four.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar 2 and Snowpiercer writer Josh Friedman has been brought on to help write the script. Friedman replaces Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer as writers and could be a sign that Marvel wants to go in a more serious tone with the Fantastic Four.
And it has been reported that Eric Pearson has been bought in the polish the script. Pearson, who worked on scripts for Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow, is best known for “taking projects over the finish line,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
Fantastic Four MCU cast
The entire cast for Fantastic Four has been officially announced starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn.
Deadline reported that Pascal had been offered the role in late 2023, but he hadn’t yet struck a deal. However, a recent SAG-AFTRA listing (which has since been edited) said The Last of Us star “will soon begin production on Marvel Studios’ FANTASTIC FOUR.”
Marvel confirmed the official cast on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2024.
Deadline made another casting announcement on April 3, 2024, when it confirmed that Ozark’s Julia Garner would be playing the Silver Surfer.
Another Deadline announcement on May 2, 2024, confirmed Black Bird actor Paul Walter Hauser would be joining the cast in an undisclosed role. A later announcement on May 9 revealed John Malkovich would join the cast. Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne was announced as joining the cast on May 15.
The full cast list for Fantastic Four includes:
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
- Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer
- Paul Walter Hauser in an undisclosed role
- John Malkovich in an undisclosed role
- Natasha Lyonne in an undisclosed role
Although John Krasinski portrayed Universe-838 Reed Richards in the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was implied early in development of Fantastic Four that Krasinski would not be returning.
In a December 2023 interview with The Wrap, Krasinski officially closed the door on that possibility, saying, “being turned into spaghetti wasn’t my end goal in life as far as how it goes in the Marvel universe, but you know what it was fun nonetheless.”
As for Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, actress Vanessa Kirby (Hobbes & Shaw) was long considered the favorite to play the character. Kirby eventually addressed the rumors, saying cryptically that it would be an “honor” to join the cast.
Actresses Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout), Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Kristen Bell (The Good Place), and Mila Kunis (Family Guy) were all also rumored as possible choices for Sue Storm.
Insider DanielRPK at one point suggested that Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad) was offered the role of Sue Storm. It’s unclear if Robbie backed out or if the scoop was incorrect.
Chris Evans, who played Captain America in Universe-616, has said that he would be open to returning to the role of Johnny Storm that he played back in 2005.
In addition, Joe Keery (Stranger Thing), Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and Chase Stokes (The Boys) have been suggested as options for the role. Insider DanielRPK also leaked that Irish actor Paul Mescal had been offered the role of Johnny Storm.
There were quite a few rumors about the role of Ben Grimm, with Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) long considered the favorite for the part. Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs was also rumored to have been offered the part.
Fantastic Four MCU plot: What is it about?
YouTube: Marvel EntertainmentThere have been few plot leaks about the Fantastic Four movie, but given that Marvel has strayed away from known origin stories (as they did with Spider-Man), it’s very possible that the MCU installment won’t include a detailed revelation of their transformation and powers.
Ant-Man director Peyton Reed previously revealed that he had pitched an MCU Fantastic Four movie that would have taken place in the 1960s, the era when the heroes were first introduced in the comics.
Shakman told Collider “I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can’t. But I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you’ve seen before.”
With rumors that regular F4 villains like Namor, Doctor Doom, and Galactus are set to be introduced to the MCU, the possibilities are endless for a potential foe.
Is there a Fantastic Four MCU trailer?
No, there isn’t a trailer for the Fantastic Four movie right now, but we’ll update this space when it’s released online.
That’s everything we know about the Fantastic Four MCU movie. In the meantime, you can check out our other Marvel hubs below:
Spider-Man 4 | Venom 3 | Deadpool 3 | X-Men ’97 | Captain America: Brave New World | She-Hulk Season 2 | What If Season 2 | Thor 5 | Fantastic Four | Avengers Secret Wars | Avengers The Kang Dynasty | Agatha Darkhold Diaries
