With the SAG-AFTRA strike finally lifted, many new film announcements and casting announcements have been made. The latest news is the announcement of noted actor Pedro Pascal making his MCU debut as Mr. Fantastic in the new Fantastic Four along with the rumored cast of Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
The casting was a surprise for fans as there were rumors surrounding Jake Gyllenhaal and Emma Stone being considered for the roles of Reed Richards and Susan Storm respectively. A recent report revealed why the actors were not chosen for the roles.
Development Of The MCU’s Fantastic Four Film
The MCU is all set to expand with the inclusion of the Fantastic Four for the first time. Marvel has already adapted the iconic characters once in the Tim Story version of the Fantastic Four, which starred Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans.
Plans for including the Fantastic Four in the MCU began when Disney, Marvel’s parent company acquired Fox Studios which held the rights for characters such as X-Men and Fantastic Four. While a variant of Reed Richards made it into the MCU in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, the characters were yet to make a debut.
Marvel President Kevin Feige announced that they were developing a Fantastic Four film that would be the first film in Marvel’s Phase Six. The film was supposed to be directed by Spider-Man director Jon Watts, but he soon exited the project to focus on other projects. Instead, Matt Shakman was hired as the director.
No cast announcements were made due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, however, it was rumored that Marvel was eyeing Mission Impossible star Vanessa Kirby to star as Susan Storm and that the film would be centered around her. Recently, after the strike was lifted, it was announced that Pedro Pascal would be playing Reed Richards.
Jake Gyllenhaal And Emma Stone Were Considered For Fantastic Four
The news that Pedro Pascal was cast as Mr. Fantastic came as a surprise to fans as it was earlier reported that Marvel was considering Jake Gyllenhaal to play the character. Other actors who were in the running were Star Wars actor Adam Driver, Dev Patel, and Matt Smith.
However, according to the Hot Mic with Jeff Sneider and John Rocha, the actor was taken out of the running due to his demand for more money. Gyllenhaal had already played Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Similarly, Emma Stone was considered for the film to play the role of Susan Storm, but she too was too expensive for Marvel. The studio is currently on a mission to cut costs and reduce spending after a series of duds such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.
The Fantastic Four film is set to star Pascal and the rumored cast for the rest is Vanessa Kirby, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing. There are also rumors that Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem was being tapped to play Galactus in the film.
