At this point, it's probably safe to say we all just want to know who is going to play the lead roles in Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot and are getting more than a little fed up with the constant rumors.
We're hearing that an official announcement should be with us fairly soon, but until then, several reliable sources do believe that the four main parts have been nailed down.
The only actor to be reported on by the trades is Pedro Pascal, who recently dropped out of Zach Cregger's Weapons, supposedly to clear his schedule to start filming his scenes as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, later this year.
Daniel Richtman has heard that offers have gone out to Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, but they may not be locked-in just yet.
The scooper is also reporting that casting is currently underway for two supporting parts: a male or female to play a comic relief character, and a male to provide the voice of a fully CGI character.
Will the FF reboot mark the big-screen debut of H.E.R.B.I.E.? Perhaps, but the little robot is just one of numerous possibilities.
As for the other principal roles, we have heard rumors that both Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One) are top picks to play Doctor Doom, but other actors are sure to be in contention.
The ruler of Latveria is not expected to have a significant role in the film (in fact, he may only show up in the post-credits scene), but the villain could well emerge as the new big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - especially after the recent news that Marvel has decided to part ways with Kang actor Jonathan Majors.
Several well-placed sources have claimed that Doom will be one of the main villains of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Javier Bardem is said to be the top choice for Galactus, but his schedule may prevent him from signing on. The Eater of Worlds' herald is believed to be Silver Surfer, but a female take on the character. A recent rumor claimed that Anya Taylor-Joy is being eyed for that role, and Marvel is still said to be interested.
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.”