20th Century Fox
Marvel's New 'Fantastic Four' Finally Announces Its Cast
Fantastic Four is finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although there have been many attempts to turn the fan-favorite comic series into a hit movie—starting with a 1994 effort that didn't even make it to theaters—none of them have taken off. Tim Story's 2005 adaptation by 20th Century Fox was critically panned, and although it made enough money to warrant a 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the follow-up turned out to be a box-office bomb.
The series subsequently remained in developmental hell for nearly a decade before 20th Century rebooted it in 2015 with Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell. But that version turned out to be an even bigger flop than its predecessors, hardly making its own budget back and scoring an embarrassing 9% from critics and 15% from fans on Rotten Tomatoes.
Will Marvel Studio's upcoming reboot break the curse? From release date to casting rumors, here’s everything we know about the latest Fantastic Four movie.
Related: Your Guide to Every Upcoming Marvel Movie
What is the Fantastic Four’s release date?
Fantastic Four is expected out on July 25, 2025. This is the latest in a long line of delayed release dates. Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the MCU, announced at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022 that Fantastic Four will be the first movie released as part of Marvel's Phase Six. However, it has since been bumped to follow Thunderbolts, becoming the second Phase Six movie.
Related: Your Guide to Every Upcoming Marvel Movie
Who is the director of Fantastic Four?
Deadline reported in August 2022 that Matt Shakman, who helmed the very successful WandaVision for Disney+, would direct Fantastic Four. Shakman has also worked on shows like The Great, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo and Game of Thrones. But Fantastic Four will be his first major film-directing role, not including his 2014 indie-thriller Cut Bank.
Originally, Kevin Feige tapped Jon Watts of Spider-Man fame to direct; however, Watts decided to take a break and step down, leaving Shakman to take his spot.
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Who is in the Fantastic Four cast?
After years of speculation, Marvel finally announced the new Fantastic Four on Valentine's Day 2024 with an Instagram post:
HBO
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
Pedro Pascal will be taking over the mantle of Reed Richards. Pascal, in addition to being the internet's boyfriend has recently starred in projects such as Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Mandalorian.
VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 12: Vanessa Kirby walks the red carpet ahead of closing ceremony at the 77th Venice Film Festival on September 12, 2020 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images)
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman
Vanessa Kirby will be the new Invisible Woman, taking over for Jessica Alba and Kate Mara. The Oscar-nominated actress rose to fame on The Crown, where she played Princess Margaret before becoming an action star in franchises like Fast and Furious and Mission: Impossible. She most recently stared in Napoleon.
FX
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing
Ebon Moss-Bachrach will be donning a rock suit and/or voicing a CGI rock man when he plays Thing. The Emmy-wining actor has been in the business for quite some time but rose to fame recently in The Bear and Andor.
Netflix
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch
Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn will be playing the Human Torch in the MCU's Fantastic Four. The British actor broke out in Season 4 of the Netflix show and is now set to appear here as well as in the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One and Gladiator 2.
Related: Which Marvel Movies Are the Best? See How We Ranked the Entire MCU—From 'Iron Man' to 'Quantumania'
What will happen in Fantastic Four?
Marvel is keeping plot details tightly under wraps right along with casting information, but Feige has confirmed that the Fantastic Four reboot will not be an origin story.
Shakman has also teased in an interview with Collider that the movie will be "different in so many ways."
"I wish I could be specific," he said. "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 ... it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."
Shakman also pointed out in an interview with Screenrant that the Fantastic Four is "a true family."
"Not a family you find along the way like the X-Men or the Avengers, but true family with all the messiness of a family ... With all the love, the hurt, and the complexity of that." Perhaps, then, the Fantastic Four's family dynamic will be at the heart of the story.
Has Fantastic Four started filming?
Not yet. But shooting is likely to begin in spring 2024, according to Shakman, and it will take place at the Legendary Pinewood Studios in London.
Marvel/Disney
Is there a trailer for Fantastic Four?
Marvel has not released a trailer for the movie yet, as the film has not even begun shooting. The studio did, however, release a promotional teaser poster with the patented glowing blue “4” symbol at its center. Excited yet?
