Did you think you'd seen the last of crazy Fantastic Four rumours? Guess again.
While we’re definitely taking this one with a pinch of salt, it's said that after Matt Smith passed on the role of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, the character was offered to Spider-Man: Far Way Home star Jake Gyllenhaal.
This wouldn’t be the first time an actor has pulled double duty in the MCU, though it's also a very different situation to Gemma Chan appearing in both Captain Marvel and Eternals.
Minn-Erva and Sersi look nothing alike and only the most eagle-eyed viewer might have realised the person playing those characters was the same actress. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, was unforgettable as Mysterio, with even a six-year gap between the movies arguably not enough to justify him suiting up as the Fantastic Four’s leader.
He’d definitely be a good fit for the role, and if Smith has indeed passed, then it could be down to him and Adam Driver. John Krasinski presumably isn’t interested in a long-term deal as we can’t figure out why Marvel Studios wouldn’t turn to the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star instead of recycling an actor who played one of the MCU's most memorable bad guys.
Gyllenhaal's other credits include Nightcrawler, Prisoners, and Ambulance. He came close to replacing Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2 when the actor suffered a back injury but he didn't enter the web-slinger's world for another 17 years, playing Quentin Beck in the Infinity Saga's epilogue, Far From Home.
Galactus is expected to be the big bad of Matt Shakman's reboot, with an unnamed Herald - supposedly not Silver Surfer - expected to be at the side of the Devourer of Worlds.
As of now, it appears Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are a lock for Invisible Woman and the Human Torch respectively.
Antonio Banderas supposedly remains in the mix to star as Galactus, while Ebon Moss-Bachrach may end up playing the aforementioned Herald or, based on recent reports, The Thing.
Then, there are the Doom rumours. Oppenheimer star Josh Hartnett is said to be in the running to play the Latverian dictator, though the villain will reportedly only appear in a minor capacity near the end of the film. Either way, we'd guess the idea is for Doctor Doom to take aim at Marvel's First Family in an eventual sequel.
No official announcements will be made until the SAG-AFTRA strike ends and work on the movie's script is thought to have been halted thanks to the WGA strike. Whether that leads to a release date delay remains to be seen.
For now, though, Fantastic Four is set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.