FANTASTIC FOUR: Adam Driver Reportedly Passed On Mister Fantastic Because He "Couldn't Connect" With Role

FANTASTIC FOUR: Adam Driver Reportedly Passed On Mister Fantastic Because He "Couldn't Connect" With Role

For a time, it looked like Adam Driver was a lock for the role of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four, but a new report claims the actor passed on the movie after failing to connect with the screenplay...

By JoshWilding - Jul 28, 2023 08:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four
Source: John Rocha

For a time, it looked like we might have a "confirmed" cast for Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four. Multiple scoopers claimed Adam Driver had been tapped to take on the role of Mister Fantastic, with Margot Robbie playing Invisible Woman, Paul Mescal eyed for Human Torch, and Daveed Diggs set to play The Thing.

No official announcements were ever made and, perhaps most tellingly, the Hollywood trades never weighed in. 

Now, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA on strike, there's absolutely no indication we'll be getting any MCU casting news in the coming months. Josh Friedman was tapped to rewrite the script shortly before the latter group hit the picket lines, and we now have a small casting update. 

Talking to John Rocha, scooper Jeff Sneider reveals that "Adam Driver was never really engaged" when it comes to playing Reed Richards. 

In fact, it appears he passed on the role relatively early on. Why? According to Sneider, the Star Wars actor simply "couldn't connect with the character on the page." That might explain the planned rewrite, anyway, and there's always a chance Marvel Studios could try tempting Driver again down the line. 

We wouldn't bank on it, though, and the final Fantastic Four cast is likely to look vastly different to what's previously been reported. Since Robbie was supposedly locked in to star as Sue Storm, for example, we've since heard the role could now go to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One star Vanessa Kirby. 

It's been four years since Fantastic Four was announced at Comic-Con and while COVID slowed things down, it's beginning to feel like this project might be a little troubled. It lost original director Jon Watts (he was replaced by WandaVision's Matt Shakman) and clearly can't lock a cast down. 

Hopefully, we'll have better news to share with you when Hollywood gets back to normal. At this point, though, that might not be until next year.

Fantastic Four is set to be released in theaters on February 14, 2025. 

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TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/28/2023, 8:49 AM
Good because I couldn’t connect with him as Mr. Fantastic.
Vigor
Vigor - 7/28/2023, 9:00 AM
@TyrantBossMedia - agreed!
Now I need to go shower again
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/28/2023, 10:20 AM
@TyrantBossMedia -
Not the right guy for the job for sure. It's the schnozola for me that is the big disqualifier.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/28/2023, 12:25 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - maybe that dunce Jim Halpert will come back, I hope not
emeraldtaurus
emeraldtaurus - 7/28/2023, 2:22 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - Agreed would love to see him as Dr Doom.
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/28/2023, 2:56 PM
@emeraldtaurus - I might be able to get behind that. My biggest concern with him playing Dr. Doom is him sounding too much like Kylo Ren.

Kylo Doom could be a problem.
emeraldtaurus
emeraldtaurus - 7/29/2023, 6:34 AM
@TyrantBossMedia - actually yeah.. .could be a bit too Kylo Wren. What about Keanu Reeves as Doom ..could work ?
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/29/2023, 11:02 AM
@emeraldtaurus - Looking at the comic book version of Doom, I can see Reeves playing that role. My biggest concern is his gravitas.
Reeves is much better playing a more subdued character. Doom is more over the top. However, it could be a great test to his range.

I have heard rumors about Cillian Murphy being considered.

I have also seen a suggestion for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. He might work as well especially with his resume and work on Game of Thrones.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 7/29/2023, 11:50 AM
@TyrantBossMedia - CM would be a phenomenal’land’ on Marvel’s part. While I really like NCW, he was a bit light on the ability to carry a flagship production on that ‘G-ds of Egypt’ movie. NCW definitely has a distinct kind of charm and charisma that lends itself to good onscreen chemistry but I feel like he is a little minor league compared to Murphey for such an iconic role and, again, I actually like NCW’s work thus far
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/29/2023, 11:53 AM
@SauronthePower - I see your points and agree with some of them.

My only counters would be
1) NCW won't be carrying the movie, all he has to do is provide the gravitas and range for the role.
2) I would be concerned with CM being too big for the role, but then again he is a great character actor or dissolves into his roles.

I'm okay with either, but with Oppenheimer's recent release CM is hot right now.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 7/29/2023, 2:52 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - agree

For me, however, for them to land someone of Murphy’s quality right now, Marvel HAS to reverse this slow-drip narrative that they are in full Nero-esque decline. Guardians 3 was a phenomenal movie and yet felt like it financially did not hit its full potential because of all of the immediately-surrounding context material

The stink of Victoria Alonzo is going to be a LONG time infestation of the brand to my mind
emeraldtaurus
emeraldtaurus - 7/31/2023, 7:19 AM
@TyrantBossMedia - k
Cillion Murphy could work ? I'm sure they make the right choice.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/28/2023, 8:52 AM
So the script sucks then
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 7/28/2023, 9:07 AM
@PlusUltra - No matter how good an actor is there will always be certain characters that they wouldn't be a good fit for, it doesn't necessarily mean the script is bad. If someone like Chris Evans read for Iron Man and said the same thing would it means the script is bad? No. Just that he wouldn't work for that particular character
Scarilian
Scarilian - 7/28/2023, 9:23 AM
@PlusUltra -
Jon Watts ditched the project, Adam driver ditched the project.

Heck, Marvel have not even attempted to keep Fantastic Four near its release date, it was the first Phase 4 film to be yeeted into Phase 5 and then Phase 6.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/28/2023, 11:02 AM
@Urubrodi - no this script was quite clearly bad
RolandD
RolandD - 7/28/2023, 11:43 AM
@McMurdo - Since you have obviously read it already, can you get me a copy.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 7/28/2023, 12:36 PM
@PlusUltra - It's just not a character for him. Could be the contract commitment combined with the need to work out to build a specific physical appearance for the role. A lot of that is too demanding for an actor
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/28/2023, 1:14 PM
@SonOfAGif - If we’re to take what we’re reading here as truth, it’s whatever Driver read on the page that put him off the role. If it were those other things, he would’ve never considered the role in the first place. Everybody knows what a superhero role entails now.
TheNewYorker
TheNewYorker - 7/28/2023, 1:33 PM
@PlusUltra - Yup. He’s too good of an actor for shit like that.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 7/28/2023, 1:35 PM
@RolandD - @McMurdo could be right because if they offered him a lot of money to the point where he can just phone in the role...the script must really suck for him to pass on it because 65 was a terrible film. If rumors are true that he's just supposed to be a side character and its Sue Storm's Fantastic 4 then he might not want to be a part of that either.

Feige is not really involved in these 2 phases so he probably doesn't trust a newbie director either because its going to hurt his career more than help it.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 7/28/2023, 1:49 PM
@PlusUltra - I still don't think it means the script is bad. I enjoyed the first Doctor Strange and that's the script that Joaquin Phoenix passed on.
RolandD
RolandD - 7/28/2023, 2:32 PM
@mastakilla39 - Yes. Of course McMurdo could be right. It was his saying it as if it is the absolute, God’s honest truth that got under my skin. I should just let things like that pass and I often do but this time, well you can see.
RolandD
RolandD - 7/28/2023, 2:35 PM
@mastakilla39 - My favorite instance of someone being absolutely sure that they were right on an issue is my favorite though. Back in 2018 after Netflix canceled Daredevil, there were a number of us on here including the good doctor who is no longer here mourning the loss of the show and hoping Marvel would continue it after the necessary two years had transpired. I can’t remember the username right now but he kept telling all of us to move on and that there was no way that Marvel would be able to do that legally. Needless to say, he doesn’t hang around here any longer or if he does he’s changed his username.😉
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 7/28/2023, 3:42 PM
@PlusUltra - that was my first thought too
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 8/1/2023, 6:42 AM
@TheNewYorker - Yeah because Kylo Ren was top cinema right there.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 7/28/2023, 8:53 AM
I guess he thought the role was too much of a stretch.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/28/2023, 9:05 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - LMAO

Take my thumbs up and get out of here.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/28/2023, 9:08 AM
@MosquitoFarmer -
Origame
Origame - 7/28/2023, 10:11 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - that pun was bad and you should feel bad.

Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/28/2023, 10:21 AM
@MosquitoFarmer -

MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 7/28/2023, 10:41 AM
@Origame - See below.

@MosquitoFarmer -
TheOtherOn
TheOtherOn - 7/28/2023, 12:18 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - 🙄

ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 7/28/2023, 12:58 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - this pun is Fantastic
plasticman
plasticman - 7/28/2023, 1:06 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - Hey, I resemble that remark.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/28/2023, 8:54 AM
With directors walking and actors rejecting roles, I think it’s safe to say this one is in trouble
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