A new update for the casting of Fantastic Four has hit the web, and it offers some unexpected news for the highly anticipated MCU film.
Out of all recent MCU projects, the reboot of Marvel's First Family feels like it has had the most insistent casting rumors.
Most of them have been on Reed Richards. Despite John Krasinski playing the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it doesn't seem Marvel Studios will be using him as Earth-616's Mr. Fantastic.
Over the last few months, several names have come up in relation to the role: Adam Driver, Penn Badgley, and Diego Luna, among others.
Now, it looks like casting is actually gearing up—however, Marvel is first focusing on an unexpected member of the gang.
Fantastic Four Casting Coming Soon
In a tweet from Deadline's Justin Kroll, an interesting new casting update was revealed.
According to Kroll, Marvel Studios will begin gearing up for the casting process of Fantastic Four this month. While he had no rumored names, he did mention that they are believed to be casting Sue Storm first and building out the rest of the team after she is set.
This is rather unexpected since Reed Richards is usually the face of the team and the de facto leader.
Bringing the Fantastic Four to Life
An initial casting focus on Sue Storm isn't surprising just because Reed Richards is usually the leading character. Reed has also garnered the most casting rumors out of the entire group.
Perhaps Marvel Studios is starting with Sue because she's the sister to Johnny Storm—so both actors should resemble the other in some way. This could mean even the Human Torch is cast before Mr. Fantastic.
There haven't been many rumors as to who might play Johnny, but Austin Butler recently campaigned for the role. Given his work on Elvis, he might have a real shot.
As for Invisible Woman, back in 2022, Jodie Comer was rumored for the part. However, seeing as the casting process is only just now starting up, many previous rumors are likely incorrect.
More recently, some photos showing Mila Kunis in LA with Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman sparked speculation that she might be in the running for the role.
Hopefully, fans will know the entire cast sooner rather than later. It's hard to imagine that it'll be any later than San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
Fantastic Four is set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
