‘Fantastic Four’ stars revealed: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby lead cast

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The full cast for Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie has finally been announced.

The superhero quartet will be led 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).

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The studio shared the news in a post on X in which they wished fans a “Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family!” with a retro pic of Golden Age superheroes. The film is slated to hit theatres on July 25, 2025.

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Last of Us Emmy nominee Pascal had long been rumoured for the role of Richards, with Mission: Impossible’s Kirby and Stranger Things breakout Quinn also linked to the project. Moss-Bachrach has become one of Hollywood’s most in demand actors after he recently won an Emmy for his performance as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich on FX’s The Bear.

The heroes, who were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in 1961, feature some of publisher’s most beloved comic book creations.

In 2020, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced that the film would be helmed by Spider-Man director Jon Watts. The project will now be spearheaded by WandaVision director Matt Shakman from a script by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer.

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John Krasinski played an iteration of Richards in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but so far the Fantastic Four has not appeared in Marvel’s ongoing Cinematic Universe. Until Disney acquired Fox in 2019, it did not own the rights to X-Men, Deadpool or Fantastic Four.

The heroes have appeared on the big screen. Two films were released in 2005 and 2007, which starred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis. A 2015 reboot starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell was meant to kickstart a new era for the quartet, but it was a box office flop.

In the comics, the characters frequently battled Doctor Doom after gaining their superpowers after a mishap during a scientific mission to outer space.

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In 2019, Feige told Postmedia that he was looking forward to introducing Marvel’s First Family to the big screen. “One of the most exciting things about what’s coming up next is being able to continue to surprise and subvert expectations for what a Marvel Studios movie can be,” Feige said.

But with Fantastic Four on the way (and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine joining the next Deadpool feature), one thing we’re likely not going to see anytime soon, is a reboot of Iron Man with another actor stepping into Robert Downey Jr.’s shoes. Feige said that a new version of that character won’t be in Marvel’s plans for many years still.

“I do think Iron Man — like Spider-Man, like Batman, like Superman, like James Bond — has existed long before most of us were around and will exist long after most of us are gone. So (recasting is) inevitable at some point, but certainly nothing I have to think about anytime soon,” Feige said.

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X: @markhdaniell

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