After Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced John Krasinski as a Reed Richards Variant, many of us were convinced that The Office alum would go on to play the hero in Fantastic Four. It's since become clear that's unlikely to be the case, and everyone from Adam Driver to Dev Patel and Ryan Gosling have since been linked to the role.
A few names for Invisible Woman have also done the rounds, though even Twitter's thirstiest scoopers haven't dropped any intel on The Thing and the Human Torch.
Crucially, none of the names we've been hearing came from the Hollywood trades, and during a recent interview with Collider, Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman was quick to temper expectations.
Confirming that shooting begins "early next year," he added: "All the casting stuff you see is just rumours. We are early in our process there. We have nothing to announce right now, and certainly, when we do we’ll let you know."
ComicBook.com asked Shakman a similar question, and he elaborated on what it's been like to see so many different names do the rounds online. "There are a lot out there, man. They really are. It's pretty crazy. As I learned from WandaVision, too, it is so lovely to see the level of engagement that fans have with this material, because I'm a fan too, and I have been reading Fantastic Four since I was a kid."
"I love these characters. I love the chance that we have to bring them to the MCU and I really want to get it right and I know that everybody out there is really excited and feels passionate in the same way wanting to get it right," he continued. "And so I encourage it. I think it's great. But yeah, I have no early answers for anyone today about casting."
We shouldn't be surprised by how vague the filmmaker is being as Marvel Studios will reveal the team's roster when they're good and ready (we're guessing Comic-Con or D23 over the summer). While they're bound to be in talks with actors at this stage, there's still a long time to go before cameras start rolling so common sense says no contracts have been signed...yet.
Fantastic Four will be released in theaters on February 14, 2025.