Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has (finally) been resolved, fans are anxiously awaiting casting announcements for some big upcoming comic book movies, and Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot is right at the top of the list.
We had been led to believe that the main team had been cast prior to the strikes, but that may not be the case for every character.
Last we heard, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) was a "lock" for Sue Storm, while Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn was said to be close to signing on to play her brother, Johnny, and The Bear and Netflix's Punisher actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach is still rumored to be up for Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.
Adam Driver's name is frequently brought up as a contender for Reed Richards, but it seems the studio may have someone else in mind to lead Marvel's First Family as Mr. Fantastic.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Jake Gyllenhaal is now Marvel's first choice to play Richards.
This isn't the first time we've heard the Academy Award-nominee's name mentioned in connection with the role, but the previous rumor was somewhat dismissed due to the fact that he already appeared in the MCU as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
While this wouldn't be the first time we've seen an actor play more than one character in this shared world, Quentin Beck did have a fairly prominent part in the Spidey sequel, so casting Gyllenhaal as Richards would likely be seen as an odd move by some fans.
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.