Fantastic Four Cast Officially Announced By Marvel Studios

02/14/2024 11:34 am EST

After months of speculation, Marvel Studios has finally confirmed the cast of its upcoming Fantastic Four movie. A piece of Valentine's Day-themed artwork released on Marvel Studios' social media accounts confirmed Pedro Pascal as Reed Richard/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The artwork by Wesley Burt and the new logo affect a style reminiscent of the 1960s, the decade when the Fantastic Four first appeared and formed the cornerstone of the Marvel Universe. One could speculate this suggests the film will be a period piece set in the '60s or at least include some scenes from that time, though no plot details for the film have been officially revealed as of yet. 

Matt Shakman is directing the movie, which is now slated for release in theaters on July 25, 2025. Shakman has stated that the reboot will differ significantly from previous efforts to bring Marvel's first family to the big screen, "It's different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific," Shakman 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. 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."

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige previously shared excitement over the studio plans for the Fantastic Four. "Fantastic Four is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics," Feige said. "There's certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that's something that is really exciting for us," Feige explained to the outlet, before mentioning that Marvel Studios wants to establish the Fantastic Four as "a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they've been in the comics for 50 or 60 years."

All four Fantastic Four members were created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, debuting in Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. The series broke the superhero mold by introducing a foursome that functioned more like a family prone to bickering than the larger-than-life paragons that had defined the genre until then. That paradigm shift became the defining theme of Marvel's Silver Age output.

Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four movie is the latest iteration of the characters to be developed for cinema. Roger Corman's first attempt during the 1990s never made it to theaters. The FF finally made their big-screen debut in 20th Century Fox's 2005 Fantastic Four movie, which performed well enough, despite mixed reviews, to warrant a sequel, 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Fox attempted to reboot the series with a more grounded approach in 2015's Fantastic Four, but the project was poorly received. Following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the Fantastic Four have been folded into Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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