Roses are red, violets are blue. Marvel has just confirmed that they are the stars of “Fantastic Four”, let's see who is who.
Marvel gave fans a Valentine's Day surprise on Wednesday, revealing on social media that Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”), Vanessa Kirby (“Napoleon”), Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) and Ebon Moss -Bachrach (“The Bear”) will suit up for the latest version of the superhero quartet. The Disney-owned studio shared an illustration by artist Wes Burt of its new stars celebrating Valentine's Day in the group's signature blue outfits.
“Happy Valentine's Day from Marvel's first family!” the studio captioned its post, before adding that the film will be released on July 25, 2025.
Pascal, who is already a pillar of the Disney family with “The Mandalorian”, will show his acting skills as Dr. Reed Richards, also known as Mr. Fantastic. The super stretchy hero was previously played by Alex Hyde-White, Ioan Gruffudd and Miles Teller. “The Office” star John Krasinski recently played Mr. Fantastic in “Dr. Stranger in the multiverse of madness.”
Oscar-nominated Kirby will make her MCU debut as Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, following appearances in the “Fast & Furious” spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw” and the most recent installments of the “Mission” franchise. Impossible”. The British actor's film credits also include the dramas “Pieces of a Woman” and “The World to Come.” Rebecca Staab, Jessica Alba and Kate Mara played the Invisible Woman in previous films.
“Stranger Things” star Quinn (who played metalhead Eddie Munson) will play Jonathan Storm, aka the Human Torch. Jay Underwood and MCU alumni Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan previously brought the fiery hero to life. Quinn's television credits include “Dickensian,” “Game of Thrones,” “Howards End” and “Catherine the Great.”
With “Fantastic Four,” Emmy winner Moss-Bachrach will remain in business with Disney. He will play Ben Grimm, a former astronaut turned rock monster known as The Thing. Moss-Bachrach, also known for Disney+'s “Andor,” follows former Thing actors Michael Bailey Smith, Michael Chiklis and Jamie Bell.
Marvel's “Fantastic Four” will be the third attempt to bring Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's heroes to the big screen. In 1994, Oley Sassone directed “The Fantastic Four,” an unreleased film that had filmmaker Roger Corman among its producers. Corman chronicled the film's difficult production archived in the 2015 documentary “Doomed!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four.”
A little over a decade later, Tim Story released his 2005 film “Fantastic Four,” which spawned the sequel “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.”
The most recent attempt was almost 10 years ago with Josh Trank's 2015 entry, “Fantastic Four.” Hopes for a franchise were quickly dashed when the film performed mediocre for critics and the box office.
Now, director Matt Shakman has the “Fantastic Four” in his hands, helping to bring the MCU into its newest phase.
