MCU fans got a quick glimpse of what the Fantastic Four will bring in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness thanks to the inclusion of Reed Richards on the Illuminati council. It was a brief but memorable appearance by John Krasinski, who had been fancast in the role for years.
The upcoming Fantastic Four movie from director Matt Shakman is expected to go in a completely different direction for Reed and the rest of the Richards-Storm family.
Everything should be considered a rumor at this point but Adam Driver and Jake Gyllenhaal are the two names that most often surface in regards to who Shakman will cast as Reed.
Vanessa Kirby is said to have all but secured the role of Sue Storm. Less certain, are rumors of who will portray the Human Torch and The Thing.
Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn is said to be in the mix for Johnny Storm while Daveed Diggs is a potential Ben Grimm. Again, keep all of these castings in the rumor section for now but expect updates to come fast and quick now that the actor's strike is over.
Recently, director Matt Shakman has been promoting his upcoming Monsterverse sci-fi series for Apple TV+, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, of which, he is a director and executive producer.
Of course, those conversations about the upcoming Godzilla show were peppered with questions about the Fantastic Four.
In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Shakman explained how his film will differ from The Avengers and X-Men.
"I love The Fantastic Four just like I love Godzilla. It's funny, we have these characters that you discover when you're a kid, and they just stick with you. Godzilla was one of them, and The Fantastic Four is another. I think I love the space race, Kennedy-era optimism of that world. The idea that we can solve all of our problems, that we can, through the right heart, the right mind, and the right technology, conquer any problem. It's different. It's different in so many ways because they are a true family," said Shakman.
He went on to add, "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 like on Monarch. With all the love, the hurt, and the complexity of that. And also, they approach things with a sort of an optimistic and scientific approach that is very different from these other Marvel characters that I absolutely love, but how they solve problems is unique and I'm excited about it as well. I hope folks like it when we put it out."
Shakman will direct the Fantastic Four film from a script co-written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. Per Kevin Feige, the film will not focus on the team's origin story.
Barring any delays, Fantastic Four is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.