The Big Picture

• Marvel's The Fantastic Four cast keeps growing, now including Natasha Lyonne alongside other talented actors like Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby.
• Plot details are scarce, but the film is reportedly set in the 1960s with the Fantastic Four taking on the planet-eating villain Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson.
• Directed by Matt Shakman with a script from a team of writers, this highly anticipated Marvel project is sure to be epic with an all-star cast.

Casting just doesn't seem to stop for the next big project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Natasha Lyonne, best known for her roles in the television shows Poker Face, Russian Dolls, and Orange is the New Black, is joining the cast of Marvel's The Fantastic Four, according to Deadline. Details on Lyonne's character are being kept hidden in the Baxter Building, but she will join the preivously announced cast of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/the Thing.

Beyond not much being known about Lyonne's character, not much is known about the plot of The Fantastic Four at all. However, it has been reported that the film will take place in the 1960s, and will see the heroic quartet face off against the planet-eating villain Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson. Other members of the film include Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich in unnamed roles, as well as Julia Garner, who will portray Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer. So while Lyonne's character may not be known - yet - she is clearly in the company of good actors.

On the creative side, The Fantastic Four will be directed by WandaVision's Matt Shakman off a screenplay by Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson and Josh Friedman. WandaVision's Peter Cameron has also contributed to the script. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is producing the film alongside Nick Pepin and Grant Curtis.

Lyonne Is Swapping from Superpets to Superheroes

This isn't the first time, technically, that Lyonne has been in a superhero film. She previously voiced the character of Merton in the Warner Bros. and DC animated film DC League of Super-Pets. Her character, who is graced with super speed, later becomes the pet of the Flash. But The Fantastic Four will mark Lyonne's entrance into both the MCU and the world of live-action superhero stardom. While many recent DC films have been critically panned, League of Super-Pets was mostly well-received and has an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Beyond this, there are a number of roles that Lyonne is recognizable from. She first broke onto the scene with roles in classic 1990s films like Dennis the Menace and American Pie, later garnering a notable role in Scary Movie 2. She is just as well-known on the television side, portraying the hardened but streetwise prisoner Nicky Nichols in the aforementioned Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Lyonne portrayed Nicky for all seven seasons of the show, earning an Emmy nomination in 2014. She then went onto co-create the series Russian Doll for Netflix, likewise garnering critical acclaim for her Groundhog Day-like role as software engineer Nadia. Lyonne would become the showrunner for the second season before teaming with Rian Johnson to star in the case-of-the-week mystery series Poker Face, which also proved highly popular and earned a second season renewal in 2023.

The Fantastic Four will be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.