With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes at an end, Marvel Studios is back to casting the main roles for the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four reboot, and while this is just a(nother) rumor for now, we can see it generating a lot of excitement.
According to MTTSH, Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer, Batman Begins, Inception) is now the studio's top choice to play Doctor Doom in the movie.
Murphy has been a fan-favorite pick to play the iconic villain for quite a while, so if this is accurate, it's bound to go over well with the Fantastic Four faithful. Of course, even if an offer is made, there's nothing to say the Irish actor would be interested, and it sounds like there are several other contenders.
Previous rumors have claimed that both Ryan Gosling and Josh Hartnett were in the mix to play Doom, and both actors are still said to be in with a chance of landing the part. More recently, we heard that Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, In Bruges) and Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer, Lawless) might be on the studio's radar, Mads Mikklesen (Rogue One, Doctor Strange) was reportedly offered the gig, but presumably declined if they've now moved on to Murphy.
The team's most prolific foe is not expected to have a significant role in the reboot (in fact, he may only show up in the post-credits scene), but the villain could well emerge as the new big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - especially if the studio does decide to pivot away from Kang (Jonathan Majors).
Several well-placed sources have claimed that Doom will be the main villain of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Production is reportedly set to commence slightly earlier than expected, and Marvel is believed to want to announce the entire cast at once. So far, the only "confirmed" actor is Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, but he will likely be joined by Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
Javier Bardem is said to be the top choice for Galactus, but his schedule may prevent him from signing on. The Eater of Worlds' herald is believed to be Silver Surfer, but a female take on the character. A recent rumor claimed that Anya Taylor-Joy is being eyed for that role.
Matt Shakman will direct FF from a script by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. Plot details are still a mystery, but Kevin Feige has confirmed that this will not be another origin story for the super-team.
“A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?” he said in a 2022 interview, comparing this new take on the heroes to Marvel Studios' pact with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the MCU. “We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”
Fantastic Four is set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.