The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, both on the small and silver screens. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four, which will finally bring the titular team of heroes into the shared universe. Fans have been wondering who might play the four superheroes, and the casting process is seemingly ongoing. And while Adam Driver reportedly isn’t playing Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic, a new rumor claims another A+ talent might.
When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties, it finally opened the door for characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four to join the MCU. There has been plenty of chatter online about which actors will make up the latter team, and Kevin Feige has stressed they’ll be an important part of the shared universe. It was reported that Adam Driver was offered the role of Reed Richards but passed on the opportunity. Now Comic Book Movie is claiming that The Crown’s Matt Smith has been offered the role.
Since this hasn’t been confirmed by the studio or Smith’s reps, we should probably take this rumor with a grain of salt for the time being. Still, it would make sense that Shakman and Marvel Studios would be looking for a major name to occupy the role of Mr. Fantastic. And Matt Smith has a long career and experience in genre work like Doctor Who, House of the Dragon, and Venom 2.
From all reports it seems like Marvel is focused on finding the right quartet of actors to bring Fantastic Four to life on the big screen. It was previously reported that the studio was focusing on finding Sue Storm and then building the rest of the cast around her. One contender online for that role is Vanessa Kirby, who expressed her interest in becoming the Invisible Woman. But perhaps Reed Richards will be the first member of the team that’s cast after all.
The conversations online about the MCU’s Mr. Fantastic have been ongoing for years already at this point. The most popular fan choice was John Krasinski, with some even hoping he starred alongside his wife Emily Blunt. The chatter got so loud that the Office alum played Reed Richards in a small but memorable role in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But given the various casting rumors, it doesn't seem like Krasinski will be reprising that role in a significant way. We’ll just have to see if Matt Smith ends up being the lucky one.
As previously mentioned, Smith has done plenty of genre work, so he seems like a great choice to play Reed Richards. Although his ongoing role as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon has the potential to make scheduling Marvel projects quite complicated. We’ll just have to wait and see if this rumor shakes out.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
