For months, rumours have swirled about the cast of Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four movie. Name after name has been put forward for each member of Marvel's First Family, but we still don't know for sure who will suit up as Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing.
Matt Shakman remains in charge of the long-awaited reboot and recently shared an update with Collider about how work has been progressing.
"Absolutely having a great time," he says. "It's a dream of mine to be able to work on that. I've loved those characters since I was little. It's such an awesome world to be in. The script is awesome, the characters are brilliant. I'm super excited."
Confirming the current plan is for shooting to start next spring, Shakman added that Fantastic Four will be shot in London's Pinewood Studios. Pre-production work has been taking place during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and he admitted the process is one which has presented its fair share of challenges.
"You know, how do you translate those skills into live-action in dynamic ways? Because some things that work beautifully in John Byrne and Jack Kirby are a little tougher when you're filming them," Shakman explains. "How do you make sure that things are exciting but also grounded in a scientific thing, which is also part of the Fantastic Four that I love? There's some stuff I'm super excited about."
As for that long-awaited cast reveal, it sounds like the foursome has been chosen and an announcement will be made once the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike ends.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they get a great deal really soon and we can go back. Then, once that's resolved, there'll be a plan at that point, but I can't say too much. There will be an announcement at some point! I know that the internet is very excited to find out, and I'm excited to share it. I just can't do it yet."
Shakman concluded by saying Fantastic Four will be "doing things very differently from a story standpoint" and "[a] filmmaking standpoint that really fits the material." He'd go on to add, "I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."
Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Matt Smith are rumoured to be in the running to play Reed Richards, while Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are supposedly a lock for Sue Storm and Johnny Storm respectively. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, meanwhile, may be Ben Grimm.
Fantastic Four is set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.