Marvel has tapped another big Hollywood name for its universe — The Fantastic Four!
The titular quartet was first announced in February 2024, after years of speculation about remaking the comic foursome’s live-action story on the big screen for the third time in less than 20 years.
Pedro Pascal is set to star as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic. Mission: Impossible and The Crown star Vanessa Kirby will play Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman. Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn will play Sue’s brother, the wisecracking Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. And The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bacharach will return to the MCU as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.
Marvel shared the news with a cute illustration of the team in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
“Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four,” the post was captioned. “Marvel Studios’ #TheFantasticFour, in theaters July 25, 2025.”
Marvel president Kevin Feige first announced the upcoming film at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022. Originally slated to premiere later this year, The Fantastic Four was first delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
However, at Comic-Con 2024, there was more to share about the team-up, with director Matt Shakman and the cast taking the stage to share more about the film — including its official title, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“We want to be rooted in the comics but also rooted in life,” Shakman shared, noting that the film is set in “retrofuturistic” New York in the 1960s, “where the right heart and mind can do anything.”
CAST
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic
Amid his lauded performance as Joel in The Last of Us, Pascal is joining the MCU as the head of the Fantastic Four. The Emmy-nominated actor will play Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic in the upcoming team-up.
Footage shown to fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 showed Pascal’s take on Richards to have an “old-school” accent.
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman
The BAFTA-winning actress, known for playing Princess Margaret on the first two seasons of The Crown and a starring role in the Mission: Impossible franchise, will play Reed Richards’ paramour and partner, Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman.
“I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in a rehearsal period before,” Kirby said at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, which took place just before filming began.
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch
A fan favorite on Stranger Things, Quinn will follow up his starring role in A Quiet Place: Day One by getting his flame on as Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch — following in breakout footsteps made by Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan.
“We’re all going to work very hard to bring a feeling of a family to this film,” Quinn told fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, which took place just before filming began.
Eben Moss-Bacharach as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing
The Bear’s breakout star, Moss-Bacharach will play Ben Grimm, a former astronaut who came back from space changed into the stony The Thing.
Moss-Bacharach shared with fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that, after he was cast, he got a text from fellow MCU star Mark Ruffalo, which was “long and generous, simplifying motion capture” — a facet of the role he admitted to being anxious about.
Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal, aka Silver Surfer
A three-time Emmy winner for her role on Ozark, Garner is set to take on the role of the Silver Surfer in the upcoming film. According to Deadline, who first reported the news, Garner will play the comic book version of the character, Shalla-Bal. In the comic canon, the character is a lover of the Norrin Radd Silver Surfer, but the pair are separated for eternity when Shalla-Bal becomes the Herald of Galactus.
Ralph Ineson as Galactus
Ineson returns to the MCU after a minor role in Guardians of the Galaxy, this time set to play a much more destructive role as Galactus — a former mortal man who becomes a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force.
Natasha Lyonne
The five-time Emmy nominee was announced the MCU team-up in an undisclosed role in May 2024.
John Malkovich
The Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee was announced the MCU team-up in an undisclosed role in May 2024.
Paul Walter Hauser
The Emmy and Golden Globe winner was announced the MCU team-up in an undisclosed role in May 2024.
PLOT
Not much is yet known about the plot details, however, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed in June 2024 that the film will not be part of the main, ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, the film will be a period piece set in the 1960s — likely in an alternate universe.
PRODUCTION AND RELEASE DATES
The Fantastic Four will kick off the MCU’s Phase 6, which Feige revealed will “end the Multiverse Saga,” concluding with two new Avengers films: Avengers 5 (formerly subtitled The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in London in late July 2024, and The Fantastic Four is set to premiere July 25, 2025.
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