For years, The Office and Jack Ryan star John Krasinski was a fan-favourite choice to play Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That dream became a reality when he showed up as an Earth-838 Variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though the hope now is he will reprise the role in 2025's Fantastic Four reboot.
Recent reports have suggested that won't be the case, of course, with names like Penn Badgley, Glenn Howerton, Brandon Routh, and Tom Ellis all floating around online.
Similar to when Spider-Man was being cast for the MCU, everyone seems to have an opinion about who could play Reed. However, it's unlikely any firm decisions have been made seeing as Fantastic Four only recently landed a director in WandaVision's Matt Shakman.
Emily Blunt, who was forced to pass on the role of Black Widow before Scarlett Johansson landed the part, is someone fans would love to see as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman. The actress has made it clear she isn't interested, but she does hope her husband, John, gets the chance to return as Reed following his recent cameo.
"I hope so. I hope so," Blunt responded when asked if we could see Kransinki in Fantastic Four. "You never know. I was really happy for him because I think he's a huge fan. And I understand why it's such an ardent passionate religion for people. It's a huge part of our cinematic history now. So he was thrilled."
While there are lots of actors out there who would do a great job as Reed, it does feel like anyone else being cast in the role will face a significant backlash. Krasinski knocked it out of the park, though with Marvel's First Family likely a big part of future MCU plans, it's possible someone younger than the 42-year-old is wanted to play the team leader.
Fantastic Four is set to be released in theaters on February 14, 2025.