Yesterday, we got the surprising (unless you've been keeping up to date with rumors) news that The Fantastic Four will introduce a female take on the Silver Surfer played by Ozark breakout Julia Garner, and we now have updates on several other supporting characters.
Deadline's Justin Kroll took to Twitter shortly after the Surfer news broke to confirm that Galactus will indeed be the main villain, but no actor is currently in talks for the part.
Last we heard, Javier Bardem was said to be the "top choice" to play the Eater of Worlds in the MCU reboot, but it was noted that scheduling conflicts may prevent him from signing on. Antonio Banderas was also a rumoured contender.
Does "main villain" indicate that the team will face other foes? Doctor Doom is expected to appear, but only briefly (most likely in a post-credits scene) to set up a bigger threat down the line. There have been rumors that both Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One) are in the mix, but nothing too substantial.
As for the children of Reed and Sue Richards, insider Daniel Richtman has heard that both Franklin and Valeria will appear. We don't have any details on their ages, so they may be babies or toddlers whose powers haven't manifested yet. Richtman also reports that The Fantastic Four are well-established and "big celebrities" in the movie.
Garner joins Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, 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.
Plot details are still a mystery, but a recent rumor claimed that The Fantastic Four will actually be set in an alternate universe. If accurate, this would obviously suggest that the characters will be Variants from some other part of the Multiverse that will eventually find their way to the main MCU timeline (possibly due to the interdimensional rift Dar-Benn caused at the end of The Marvels).
Kevin Feige has also 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.”
Matt Shakman will direct the movie. Production is expected to get underway this summer, and the film is set to bow on July 25, 2025.