Ever since it was first confirmed back in 2019 that Kevin Feige and his Marvel Studios team would finally be bringing the company's First Family – the Fantastic Four – into the MCU, the interwebs have been ablaze with a mixture of guesses, fan-casting and reporting on potential negotiations with actors. It would appear we are getting closer to actual hires, as usually reliable podcast The Hot Mic (and co-host Jeff Sneider's Above The Line site) are reporting that Vanessa Kirby and Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn are the current top choices to play Sue and Johnny Storm. Though we'll stress this still lives within the rumoursphere, so please enjoy our new Rumour Klaxon.
Nothing, naturally has been announced by Marvel as of yet, so we'll wait and see if this becomes official or joins the ever-growing pile of reports that turn out not to be correct, or actors who pass on the various roles. Sneider even corrected himself mid-show when he'd pinned The Boys' Jack Quaid as Johnny (AKA The Human Torch), only for Quaid to fact-check it via a tweet…
We could see both choices working, though it remains to be seen if they pan out. So far, the likes of Adam Driver and Matt Smith have been mentioned as those who didn't take the role of FF leader Reed Richards, while Sneider mentions that Ben Grimm/The Thing has been cast just not the actor's name, and that The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach is being seriously considered for an unknown role (because let's face it, after season 2 of the show, we're certain everyone is trying to cast him).
What we do know as concrete right now is that WandaVision's Matt Shakman remains aboard as director and Josh Friedman is the current scriptwriter, though forward movement on that front is on hold due to the strikes. The Fantastic Four's release date is currently 2 May 2025, though we'll see if that holds.
Kirby, of course, is on screens in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and will be seen in Ridley Scott's Napoleon, about which you can read more here. Quinn, meanwhile, also has a Scott connection – he's part of the cast for the director's Gladiator sequel, which is currently on a strike-enforced hiatus.