Minus a John Krasinski cameo as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, the Fantastic Four is an iconic group of Marvel heroes that have been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date (the reason had to do with the characters being licensed to 20th Century Fox). But now the iconic team is set to get a proper introduction to the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Of course, there have been some notable attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen. Chris Evans made his superhero debut alongside Jessica Alba and others in the pair of Fantastic Four movies that were released in 2005 and 2007. Then there was a 2015 reboot that was mired in production issues that made for a less-than-fantastic last outing for the famous quartet.
Now a whole new cast of actors is taking on the roles of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, and we’ve got everything you need to know about it right here.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps release date
Marvel is going to release The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25 exclusively in movie theaters worldwide.
After a slow 2024 in movie theaters, the MCU is coming back in a big way in 2025. Three new MCU movies are slated to premiere this year, starting with Captain America: Brave New World on February 14, then Thunderbolts on May 2 and finally The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast
The latest group of actors set to portray “Marvel’s First Family” of superheroes are Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Gladiator 2) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.
We also know that Emmy-winner Julia Garner (Ozark) is set to play the Silver Surfer, while Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu) has been tapped to play Galactus.
Additional members of the cast include Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face), Paul Walter Hauser (The Instigators), John Malkovich (Ripley) and Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso).
The Fantastic Four: First Steps plot
As Marvel usually does, they’ve been keeping the plot details for The Fantastic Four: First Steps pretty well hidden. But we do know a few things.
The movie is set in the 1960s, so taking place before most of the events of the MCU. (Could it also be taking place in a different universe than the main MCU storyline we’ve been following?) We also know that the main villain of the movie is Galactus, an iconic Marvel villain whose main thing is that he consumes planets. But we can expect the Fantastic Four to try and stop him.
Here is what Marvel has shared for The Fantastic Four: First Steps plot so far:
“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer
Marvel has launched the first official teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which introduces us to the new iterations of these characters and briefly teases the arrival of Galactus. Watch it right here:
The Fantastic Four: First Steps director
Matt Shakman is the director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While Shakman only has one feature movie directing credit on his resume (the 2014 movie Cut Bank), he does have Marvel experience, having directed all nine episodes of the Marvel Disney Plus series WandaVision. Now he’s getting to officially play in the MCU sandbox.
Shakman’s other directing credits have come in the world of TV, where he has directed episodes of shows like The Great, Succession, The Boys, Billions, Games of Thrones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Welcome to Chippendales.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps behind the scenes
It has been a bit of a process getting the Fantastic Four their first official movie in the MCU. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, and as a result the Fantastic Four and the other Marvel characters the latter studio had rights to, they started working on a new Fantastic Four movie. Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts was originally the director tapped for the movie, but he exited the project in 2022, with reports saying it was an amicable split and that Watts needed a break from the superhero genre. Shakman was then brought on to take over as director.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige is on board as the producer of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while Mitch Bell is listed as a co-producer and Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curits and Tim Lewis are executive producers.
Also worth noting is that Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino crafted the music for the movie. Giacchino is no stranger to the MCU, having worked on Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Thor: Love & Thunder.
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