One of the most talked-about films coming in the future from the MCU has been Fantastic Four. The superhero quartet has endured multiple unfortunate big-screen depictions in the past, including the trainwreck that was Fan4stic, but Marvel is ready to do this team right as one of the first films in Phase 6. That process starts at the cast which, pun totally intended, is nothing short of fantastic. While rumors have swirled heavily regarding each member, we now know the full team lineup will include the previously announced Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic with Vanessa Kirby playing Invisible Woman /Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, better known as The Thing. Along with the stunning cast announcements, Fantastic Four will now be released on July 25, 2025, giving up its previously announced May 2, 2025 date for the troubled anti-hero film Thunderbolts.
Even though their film appearances have left a lot to be desired, The Fantastic Four have always delivered when it comes to stars. That first team featured Ioan Gruffudd heading Marvel’s first family with Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and a pre-MCU Chris Evans, while Fan4stic boasted Miles Teller as the world’s smartest man alongside Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell. Technically, Marvel added one more to the count with John Krasinski who got a brief moment to play around in the MCU sandbox as a variant of Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before being unceremoniously spaghettified by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). Fans certainly approved of his appearance, but it’s hard to argue against this starry new lineup.
With the superhero team now set, Fantastic Four seems to be in good hands. Marvel appointed a proven veteran in WandaVision helmer Matt Shakman to direct the project. Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were hired to pen the script originally, but Avatar 4 co-writer Josh Friedman was also brought in for extra firepower in the writers’ room. Marvel has been putting in extra legwork to sure up its upcoming slate of films, including conducting rewrites for the Thunderbolts film, as opinions of the MCU have been souring of late. It’s important that such a major project hit, especially after things took their most disastrous turn yet with The Marvels bombing at the box office.
‘Fantastic Four’ Will Be “Unlike Anything at Marvel” We’ve Seen
Fantastic Four is being hyped to the moon considering the popularity of the superhero team. Shakman, in particular, has teased that the starry project will be a standout in comparison to what the MCU has done in the past. Speaking to Collider‘s Steve Weintraub last month for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the director teased a new approach to the story and filmmaking process that better fits the characters. He added in another interview with Screen Rant that he believes this team and the film itself will be different because The Fantastic Four are an actual family rather than the found family of the Avengers or X-Men.
As always, Marvel is keeping very quiet on any details of the story for the film, though we have at least some idea of what it’s not going to be. Kevin Feige emphasized this won’t be a Fantastic Four origin story but will instead introduce them in a way that shows their vital importance to the films going forward. It’s fair to assume that they’ll eventually play a huge role in the next major crossover film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, when/if that film releases on May 1, 2026.
Fantastic Four is currently slated for July 25, 2025.
via Collider