Matt Smith has been the latest actor caught up in Fantastic Four casting rumors, and the actor has now responded through his reps.
Having found his early stardom thanks to playing the 11th Doctor in the British sci-fi drama Doctor Who, Matt Smith has recently seen a major come-up in Hollywood.
Smith starred as The Crown's Prince Phillip and House of the Dragon's Prince Daemon Targaryen, and he almost joined the Star Wars galaxy in a game-changing role that was cut from The Rise of Skywalker.
The British star even joined the Marvel mythos once through Sony's Spider-Man Universe in the disastrous Mobius - something which Smith has addressed.
Matt Smith's Reps Respond to Fantastic Four Reports
Scooper DanielRPK recently claimed on Patreon that House of the Dragon and Doctor Who star Matt Smith was "the last actor to get an offer" to play the MCU's Reed Richards in Fantastic Four before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
Streamr Entertainment reached out to Smith's reps for comment on the matter and shared in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that, "as of June 28," Smith was "not cast" as Richards for the 2025 movie:
"We have independently confirmed with Matt Smith’s reps that, as of June 28th 2023, he was not cast as Reed Richards in the upcoming ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ film."
However, Streamr Entertainment revealed in a later post they had reached out to the actor's reps again on August 2, and the outlet was met with "no comment" as opposed to any flat-out denial or confirmation:
"We again reached out today and, instead of a confirmation or flat out denial as was previously made, we were told, 'No comment,' on whether Matt Smith was cast in the upcoming ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ movie."
Will Matt Smith Play the MCU's Mr. Fantastic?
For starters, just because Matt Smith has reportedly been offered the role of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four doesn't mean he is cast or even interested. This simply indicates Marvel Studios and director Matt Shakman want him in the role, although it's unclear whether Smith has taken part in an actual audition or screen test.
The change in tune from outright denial to curious silence between the two comments may indicate the reported Fantastic Four offer made to Smith came after June 28 and before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14.
Those familiar with Doctor Who will be more than aware Smith can comfortably pull off the super-genius action star, while projects such as House of the Dragon and The Crown prove he can handle Mr. Fantastic's more serious side.
Yes, Smith has already taken on one Marvel role recently as the villain of Morbius, which exists outside the MCU in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. But clearly, sharing stars is no problem for the two universes, as Russell Crowe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Chiwetel Ejiofor all have roles in both.
One obstacle to Smith joining the MCU may come with his commitments to House of the Dragon as the HBO series films its seasons for upwards of six months. So, the actor's role as Prince Daemon may prevent Fantastic Four from fitting into his filming schedule unless his character were to die in the upcoming Season 2.
But regardless, due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, any discussions between Marvel Studios and Smith, or any actor for that matter, will currently be on hold until a deal is reached to end the strike and bring the stars back to work.
Fantastic Four is currently set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025.
