In the original comics, Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm blasted into space in an experimental rocket and were bombarded with cosmic radiation, resulting in them gaining amazing powers. That origin, set firmly during the Cold War and the Space Race was modified when Fox adapted the Fantastic Four to the big screen in 2005. It was adapted again in 2015 when they tried to reboot the franchise with the film that is sometimes cringingly referred to as Fant4stic.
But when John Krasinski appeared as Reed/Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there was no reference to his backstory. There was only a fleeting mention of his wife Sue and their kids, Franklin and Valeria.
Though it isn’t carved in stone whether or not Krasinski will return for the official 616 MCU Fantastic Four movie in 2024, it’s now been confirmed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that that film will not be an origin story. Like Reed’s appearance in Doctor Strange, audiences will just have to jump on board with the adventures of Marvel’s First Family.
According to Feige:
“A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before… We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”
Marvel is said to be “actively hunting” for a director for its version of Fantastic Four, following the departure of Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts. (I would suggest Brad Bird, but his track record outside The Incredibles franchise has been pretty rocky.)
Fans have long been lobbying for Krasinski and his real-life wife Emily Blunt, with whom he co-starred in the A Quiet Place films, to play Reed and Sue. Krasinski also delivered by helming the A Quiet Place movies, so fans are also wondering if he might make a great director for Fantastic Four.
However, it was previously reported that Marvel Studios wanted a more diverse mix of characters, not an all-Caucasian team. It was also reported, that Marvel wanted the brother/sister combo of Sue and Johnny to be biologically related, unlike Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan in the 2015 version. So they would be of the same race, whatever that ends up being.
Would you be interested in John Krasinski directing and maybe starring in Fantastic Four as Mister Fantastic? Would you prefer to see him star opposite Emily Blunt or someone else? Any other casting choices?
You can check out Jordan’s fan-casting choices below:
Reed Richards
Sue Storm
Johnny Storm
Ben Grimm
Sound off with your picks below in the comments!
