There is an argument that Marvel would never have flourished in quite the same way had the studio not got its casting right from (almost) the very beginning. While Ed Norton never seemed the right fit as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk in 2008, it was the signing of Robert Downey Jr in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man that inspired the newly Disney-owned outfit to embark on a decade-long run of smartly interconnected, far-out superhero epics that redefined the genre. Marvel made the careers of the previously little-known Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Chris Evans (Captain America), re-appropriated high-end TV talent in the shape of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and turned heroes of indie cinema such as Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) into bona fide saviours of the Earth. They didn’t do a bad job with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man either.
Perhaps this is why, at a time when the studio has started to flounder, it has taken its time over the casting for its new Fantastic Four film, the first to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bearing in mind that previous big screen appearances for the comic book foursome have been consistently appalling, it’s more than vital the team stands out from the crowd this time around.
The Hollywood trades revealed this week that Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) will play Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, with The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn as her brother Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing in the new film. This is pretty gold-plated casting: Pascal was the world’s biggest action movie star before he had really troubled the multiplexes, thanks to The Mandalorian’s huge success; Kirby is Hollywood’s latest fave Brit after appearances in the Mission: Impossible films and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. Quinn’s soulful turn as local metal-head Eddie Munson was the highlight of the fourth season of the supernatural Netflix show, while Moss-Bachrach is an Emmy winner for Hulu’s acclaimed comedy-drama.
The Fantastic Four, as it has been retitled (note the addition of “The”) will now debut in July 2025, as the second full MCU entry to feature crossover stars of the 20th Century Fox-owned Marvel films of the 00s and onwards (not counting teases in end-credit scenes and alternate dimensions). Earlier this week, the debut trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine hit the web, showcasing how the studio will handle Ryan Reynolds’ potty-mouthed mutant and his new adamantium-clawed sidekick, the returning Hugh Jackman. While the merc with a mouth’s meta-fuelled antics – Deadpool is somehow aware he’s leapt over to the MCU after Marvel owner Disney’s purchase of Fox, judging from the promo – might not necessarily be mirrored in other more orthodox episodes, let’s hope there’s a similar tone of funtime irreverence around The Fantastic Four. Because this is a comic book that has been trampled under the clumsy feet of Hollywood for decades.
From the little-seen, famously low-budget Roger Corman-produced 1994 version, which was allegedly made to fulfil a contractual obligation, to the duo of dull and insipid efforts Fox made in the noughties (anyone remember Jessica Alba as Sue Storm? Nope, I thought not) to Josh Trank’s awkwardly gloomy and ill-conceived Fantastic Four in 2015, nobody has yet got Marvel’s first family right on the big screen. And it’s a shame.
Thanks to genuinely inspiring casting, the studio now has the right tools at its disposal to set things right. With a bit of luck, July 25, 2025 will mark the beginning of a new era, and the consignment of all previous efforts to the dustbin of time. One of the best things about Marvel’s new-found multiverse is that it’s more than possible for scores of different takes on the Fantastic Four to have existed in different realities at once. Even better, there is nothing to stop us from completely ignoring the ones that were never really worth bothering about in the first place.
