THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Featurette Adds Weight To Theories John Malkovich's Role Has Been Cut

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Featurette Adds Weight To Theories John Malkovich's Role Has Been Cut

A new featurette for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been released, and as well as offering an exciting glimpse at what's to come, it adds weight to the theories that John Malkovich has been cut...

By JoshWilding - Jul 02, 2025 12:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

Marvel Studios has officially released the first featurette for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it includes new interviews with director Matt Shakman and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. 

That's not all, though, as there's also plenty of behind-the-scenes action (showcasing the practical sets and stunts) and snippets of footage from the movie itself. 

However, it's what we don't see that's causing a stir on social media.

We recently told you that John Malkovich's name has been removed from the cast list attached to press material for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Now, the actor's name has also vanished from the credits included at the end of this sneak peek, lending weight to theories he'll no longer appear in the reboot. 

Rumour has it he'd been cast as Red Ghost; it's not like his role has been kept a secret, as he was featured in the first teaser trailer. It seems likely that something about his character wasn't working, with feedback from test screenings perhaps leading to him being removed altogether. 

Red Ghost is a classic Fantastic Four villain who pitted his Super-Apes against Marvel's First Family to prove that his country, Russia, was superior to the United States. 

There may be other reasons he's not being credited along with the rest of the main cast, including Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles, three actors we've seen nothing of in trailers (who they're playing hasn't even been announced, though Hauser is thought to be Mole Man).

We'll see. For now, watch this new look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps in the players below.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.

Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.

The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.

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SuperCat
SuperCat - 7/2/2025, 1:00 PM
User Comment Image
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 7/2/2025, 1:00 PM
Use words like "real sets" "real locations" and "practical suits". That'll draw 'em in.
NOID
NOID - 7/2/2025, 2:11 PM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 100%… I’m so tired of them using that as a selling point… especially when the cgi that is added makes it look awful. Jurassic World Rebirth just released a video of everyone talking about the baby dinosaur and how much they loved working with it…. Straight out of the Mandalorian marketing department
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:01 PM
@NOID - ?
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:01 PM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - There's nothing wrong with them mentioning this.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 7/2/2025, 1:06 PM
Cut the tache, there's still time to fix that shit
User Comment Image
PC04
PC04 - 7/2/2025, 1:08 PM
So we'll be seeing him in the eventual "EXTENDED CUT" right?
dragon316
dragon316 - 7/2/2025, 1:42 PM
@PC04 - hard to say never did see scene hulk in end battle of infinity war ?si=CpiKMl1DZkMtBUZI
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/2/2025, 1:20 PM
It would be unfortunate if Malkovich was cut from the film especially after almost being The Vulture in Raimi’s Spider Man 4 so that would just be shitty luck.

Granted , he just has/had a small part as Red Ghost most likely as a villain that helps establish the FF as heroes during the beginning of the film when they are likely at the talk show we have seen…

He was in Shakman’s only feature film before this which was titled “ Cut Bank” so he probably called him up as a favor to play this part which could be a reason he isn’t in the credits in that its a bit role while Lyonne and Hauser could have more supporting roles even though we haven’t seen them in any of the footage yet.

User Comment Image

Anyway we’ll see but the featurette was cool and I am looking forward to the film!!.
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:04 PM
@TheVisionary25 - I doubt his been cut, but he probably has a very small role.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/2/2025, 4:19 PM
@PopBye - same.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/2/2025, 1:33 PM
#notmyReed
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:03 PM
@McMurdo - And yet he will still be the best live action Reed.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/2/2025, 4:44 PM
@PopBye - I doubt it
Latverian
Latverian - 7/2/2025, 8:02 PM
@McMurdo -

Nothing like the MCU, to make "fans" offer retroactive praise to anything that came prior as infinitely better; deserving or otherwise.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/2/2025, 1:39 PM
Who cares? It's dead on arrival with the Reed casting
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:03 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - Wrong
LibraMatter
LibraMatter - 7/2/2025, 7:47 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - lmao!! Yeah right. In fact, casting Pablo Pascal probably will bring in more female movie goers that wouldn’t have gone in the first place and most of the general audience that love the Mandalorian, the Last of Us and just him in general. This website is not an indicator of the world in general. Just us nerds. People in the real world do not care if he has a mustache or not. They just like that dude and like popcorn flicks.
hainesy
hainesy - 7/2/2025, 1:58 PM
I was always surprised with the inclusion of the Red Ghost. Not a great character. They should have gone with the Wizard for a B-list villain to have them fight in the montage or early scenes.
dragon316
dragon316 - 7/2/2025, 2:01 PM
Uh oh
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/2/2025, 2:19 PM
Reshoot his scenes with Paul Walter Hauser.

Then your only problem is that you need to reshoot Hauser's Mole Man scenes. No problem. Call DeVito! Watch the box office explode.
PopBye
PopBye - 7/2/2025, 3:03 PM
Looks fantastic

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