Marvel Studios has its “Fantastic Four.”
The superhero quartet — the first characters created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — will be played by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing).
As part of the casting announcement, Disney has swapped the release dates of “The Fantastic Four” (now set for July 25, 2025) and “Thunderbolts” (now set for May 2, 2025). Those are two of four Marvel tentpoles currently set to open in 2025, along with “Captain America: Brave New World” in February and “Blade” in November. Four Marvel films are also scheduled for 2026, including “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” That’s a ramp up from 2024: Marvel only has “Deadpool & Wolverine” for theaters, on July 26.
Per usual with Marvel, story details remain scant. But in the comics, the Fantastic Four are astronauts who are remade into superheroes after they’re exposed to cosmic rays in space. Reed gains the ability to stretch his body to astonishing lengths. Sue, Reed’s girlfriend (and eventual wife), can manipulate light to become invisible and cast powerful forcefields. Johnny, Sue’s brother, can turn his body into fire which gives him the ability to fly. And Ben, Reed’s best friend, is totally transformed into, well, a Thing, with giant, orange boulders for a body, giving him super strength — and a perpetual heavy heart about his seemingly monstrous appearance.
Matt Shakman (“WandaVision,” “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”) will direct “Fantastic Four,” from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. News of Pascal’s casting first leaked in November, but Marvel had otherwise tried to keep a tight lid on who would play Marvel’s First Family, considered widely to be among the most significant superhero characters ever created. Filming is expected to begin by the summer.





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