Fantastic Four MCU: Release date, cast, plot & more

The new Fantastic Four movie will bring Marvel’s first family to the MCU – here’s what we know so far, including its release date, cast rumors, plot, and more.

A major announcement at Comic-Con 2019 was the inclusion of the superhero team Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, exciting fans everywhere.

In the past, 20th Century Fox held the rights to the Fantastic Four franchise. However, the merger between Disney and Fox resulted in Marvel Studios, a Disney subsidiary, acquiring the rights to incorporate these characters into the MCU.

There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive into all the information available about the introduction of the Fantastic Four in Phase Six of the MCU.

Contents

• Fantastic Four MCU release date
• Fantastic Four MCU director & crew
• Fantastic Four MCU cast
• Fantastic Four MCU plot details
• Is there a Fantastic Four trailer?

Fantastic Four MCU release date: When is it coming out?

YouTube: Marvel Entertainment

Fantastic Four will be released in cinemas on May 2, 2025. This is a slight delay from its previous release date of February 14.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Kevin Feige originally announced that Fantastic Four will kick off Phase Six of the MCU in November 2024. However, with lots of shake ups in the release of other films like Blade, Deadpool 3, and Avengers: Secret Wars who knows what is set to happen.

As per The Wrap, the movie is set to start filming in early 2024.

Fantastic Four MCU director & crew

Matt Shakman will direct Fantastic Four. He’s best known for helming WandaVision, which kicked off the MCU’s Disney+ programming.

Initially, Spider-Man director Jon Watts was set to helm the Fantastic Four movie. However, in April 2022, Watts stepped down from the project, saying he wanted to take a break from superhero movies.

Late last year, The Direct reported that Shakman had signed on to direct Marvel’s Fantastic Four.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar 2 and Snowpiercer writer Josh Friedman has been brought on to help write the script. Friedman replaces Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer as writers and could be a sign that Marvel wants to go in a more serious tone with the Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four MCU cast

The rumored Fantastic Four cast includes:

• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Silver Surfer

Obviously, John Krasinski portrayed Universe-838 Reed Richards in the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but it’s not clear that Krasinski would return as the Reed Richards in the core MCU (Universe-616).

An interview with The Wrap on December appeared to close the door on that possibility, with Krasinski saying “being turned into spaghetti wasn’t my end goal in life as far as how it goes in the Marvel universe, but you know what it was fun nonetheless.”

Other rumored casting choices for Reed Richards include Jamie Dornan (50 Shades of Grey), Penn Badgley (You), and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

More recently, Kylo Ren star Adam Driver was claimed to be the frontrunner to play Reed. According to scooper Daniel Richtman, Driver isn’t just in the running to play Richards – he’d already been cast. However, another report them went on to say that he’d actually turned the role down.

“This contradicts some stuff some we’ve put out there in the past, but…this comes from someone apparently working on the Fantastic Four movie,”  The Hot Mic podcast said in their latest episode. “They said that Adam Driver was never really engaged in this. They sent Adam Driver the script a while back and he said that he couldn’t connect with the character on the page, and he passed very early on.”

The rumored cast (that should be taken with a grain of salt) for the Fantastic Four: Jamie Dornan as Reed Richards, Amanda Seyfried as Sue Storm, and Joe Keery as Johnny Storm. Should Spielberg join as producer, then Ben Grimm will be cast! Again, this is all a rumor. pic.twitter.com/6yTHw8wU6s

— Fantastic Four Updates (@UpdatesForF4) July 14, 2022

Actresses Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout), Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Kristen Bell (The Good Place), and Mila Kunis (Family Guy) have all been rumored as possible choices for Sue Storm.

Kunis shut down speculation in a conversation with James Corden on The Late Late Show at the end of April, which arose after she was pictured with director Matt Shakman. “Apparently, if you go to lunch with somebody that is also in the industry, you then start working together, according to the internet,” she said.

However, the Black Swan star did let slip that she knows who’s in the cast, suggesting the main stars have already been booked. “I don’t want to get in trouble with The Mouse,” she added. “So none of you will find out.”

On May 1, however, rumors from insider DanielRPK suggested that Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad) was offered the role of Sue Storm.

Margot Robbie has reportedly been offered the role of Sue Storm.

via @DanielRPK pic.twitter.com/OYmtpoUKHB

— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) May 1, 2023

Chris Evans, who played Captain America in Universe-616, has said that he would be open to returning to the role of Johnny Storm that he played back in 2005.

In addition, Joe Keery (Stranger Thing), Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and Chase Stokes (The Boys) have been suggested as options for the role. However, insider DanielRPK has leaked that Irish actor Paul Mescal had been offered the role of Johnny Storm.

The role of Johnny Storm has reportedly been offered to Paul Mescal!

via @DanielRPK pic.twitter.com/lbJikISYgH

— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) April 30, 2023

Finally, there have not been too many rumors about the role of Ben Grimm but reportedly Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) is a favorite for the part.

All of these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, as none have been confirmed by anyone at Marvel or by any of the actors. In fact, on February 16, 2023 Deadline writer Justin Kroll tweeted that Marvel would begin the casting process in February and March 2023. As a result, most of the rumored names are likely only those who may have been in consideration.

While the film won’t shoot till top of 24, word around town is the Marvel will begin gearing up casting process of F4 this month. No names rumored for now but the belief is the focus will be casting Sue Storm first and building out the rest of team after she is set. Stay Tuned

— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) February 16, 2023

Fantastic Four MCU plot: What is it about?

YouTube: Marvel Entertainment

There have been few plot leaks about the Fantastic Four movie, but given that Marvel has strayed away from known origin stories (as they did with Spider-Man), it’s very possible that the MCU installment won’t include a detailed revelation of their transformation and powers.

Ant-Man director Peyton Reed previously revealed that he had pitched an MCU Fantastic Four movie that would have taken place in the 1960s, the era when the heroes were first introduced in the comics.

With rumors that regular F4 villains like Namor, Doctor Doom, and Galactus are set to be introduced to the MCU, the possibilities are endless for a potential foe.

Is there a Fantastic Four MCU trailer?

No, there isn’t a trailer for the Fantastic Four movie right now, but we’ll update this space when it’s released online.

That’s everything we know about the Fantastic Four MCU movie. In the meantime, check out our other superhero content below:

Shazam 2 | The Batman Part II | Joker 2 | Harley Quinn Season 4 | The Flash Season 9 | Deadpool 3 | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | The Marvels | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Venom 3 | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4