The upcoming Marvel movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to be quite a spectacle. Given the scale, you'd think the biggest challenges facing director Matt Shakman and co. would involve special effects, action choreography or high production costs. There's also an expectation that First Steps will put Marvel back on the map and improve upon past films starring the FF, which I can imagine comes with pressure. As it turns out, though, the biggest hurdle was one I didn't truly consider.
The main challenge for the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps is something that's (figuratively) smaller than VFX or set pieces. Director Matt Shakman told EW that for his 2025 movie release, he had to be thoughtful about casting. It's obvious that he needed to find the right actors for the individual roles, but there was more to it than that:
Casting was the number one challenge for the film. It wasn't just a search for who was the best Ben and who was the best Johnny, but also who was the best family? Who was the best married couple? Who were the best siblings and honorary uncle? So it's been very gratifying to see the incredible chemistry that the four of them have had since the beginning.
Sure, the various Marvel movies that have been released over the years have featured plenty of dynamic teams. The Avengers were great work friends, while the Guardians of the Galaxy bonded through chaos and shared trauma. However, the Fantastic Four really are a family and are superheroes second. Reed and Sue are the married couple of the group. Johnny is Sue’s lovable younger brother and Ben is "the rock" of the familial unit, as he conveys his longstanding loyalty to his comrades.
I totally understand where Matt Shakman is coming from. While casting, he had to be diligent regarding what the chemistry amongst the members of the ensemble would be like. Sure, he could've found an excellent Reed Richards actor, but what if he didn't exactly mesh with a star who seemed perfect for the role of his old buddy Ben? It's a challenge like this that truly makes me appreciate the work that casting directors do.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' cast is admittedly stacked with some major talent. Pedro Pascal portrays the cerebral Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), while Vanessa Kirby portrays his loving and enterprising wife, Susan Storm (Invisible Woman). Joseph Quinn is the latest actor to take on the role of Johnny Storm (Human Torch), while Ebon Moss-Bachrach is our new Ben Grimm (The Thing). It goes without saying that Marvel Studios has a great track record for casting talent, and I think this film would be an extension of that.
Casting is important but, of course, there's also the matter of the action and visual effects. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige even geeked out with CinemaBlend about the effects, specifically talking about nailing the look of the Thing. After having seen him in the First Steps teaser, I'm so sold and optimistic that other CGI creations in the film will look just as good.
Casting may not have been the first detail on my mind when thinking about hurdles for First Steps, but I'm glad Matt Shakman apparently took so much care with that process. One can't understate the importance of the dynamics between the titular group. As Sue says in the trailer, “Whatever life throws at us, we’ll face it together… as a family.”
Be sure to check out The Fantastic Four: First Steps when it opens in theaters on July 25. In the meantime, stream past Marvel Cinematic Universe films on Disney+.
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