Fantastic Four – Marvel unveils new team – Here is a look at all past versions 

Pedro Pascal is switching from Marvel to Star Wars. The actor from “The Last of Us” and “Mandalorian” will portray Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic, in the most recent iteration of “The Fantastic Four,” the studio revealed on Wednesday.

Along with Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm (The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn of “Stranger Things” as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach of “The Bear” as Ben Grimm (The Thing), the rest of his team was unveiled. Fans speculated that this version takes place in the 1960s after seeing the group on a vintage designed Valentine’s Day card in the announcement.

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One of Marvel’s longest-running comic book series, “The Fantastic Four,” has one of its most adored ensembles. Even when they aren’t taking on supervillains, the scientists-turned-superheroes created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are funny and sympathetic in their team dynamics. It was a novel discovery when it first came out in November 1961, contributing to the Marvel voice and paving the way for Iron Man and Spider-Man.

However, the so-called Marvel first family has not made the most impressive transfer to the big screen, frequently suffering from false beginnings and unfavourable reviews. First, a $2 million Roger Corman film starring Alex Hyde-White as Reed Richards, Rebecca Staab as Susan Storm, Jay Underwood as Johnny Storm, and Michael Bailey Smith as Ben Grimm was produced in 1994 but was never released. Oley Sassone directed the low-budget production.

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A year after Corman’s was shelved, 20th Century Fox bought the rights to the characters and started working with director Tim Story to develop what would become two films. However, this process took almost ten years and saw a number of directors come and go, including Raja Gosnell, Chris Columbus, and future “Ant-Man” director Peyton Reed. Ioan Gruffudd played Reed in the 2005 film “Fantastic Four,” while Jessica Alba played Susan, Chris Evans played Johnny, and Michael Chiklis played Ben in the 2007 follow-up “Rise of the Silver Surfer.”

With Josh Trank as the director and a cast that included Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, Fox made another attempt. However, reviewers slammed the 2015 movie, costing the company about $80 million. After the plans for a follow-up were abandoned, Disney bought Fox a few years later, reuniting the Marvel characters under its corporate brand.

John Krasinski’s portrayal of Mister Fantastic in 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” will include the mutant misfits under Kevin Feige’s direction for the first time with the formation of the new “Fantastic Four.” The film is scheduled for a July 25, 2025, theatrical release, and will be helmed by “WandaVision” veteran Matt Shakman.

Source:
https://apnews.com/article/fantastic-four-cast-fb899c626f0eb2a67dead45e8f90198b

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