10 Actors Who Almost Joined (Or Were Rumored For) Marvel's Fantastic Four Cast

Since the advent of Hollywood fan magazines in the 1920s, movie fans have obsessed over behind-the-scenes details about their favorite stars. Today, cinephiles are more invested in moviemaking than ever before, as internet denizens sound off about Hollywood casting decisions and constantly "fancast" actors in popular roles.

The bigger the movie, or the more well-known the IP, the more rambunctious these discussions become. Take, for example, the upcoming film "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." A popular superhero group in Marvel comics, team's journey to the screen has been troubled. The first live-action "Fantastic Four" film came out in 2005, and while it achieved box office success, it wasn't well-liked by critics. The 2015 film of the same name was both a box office bomb and a critical flop.

For comic fans, this new film could be a chance for Marvel to finally do right by these characters on screen. Fans have been discussing the film, including the cast and which comic story it might follow, since it was first announced. Everyone has opinions about who should play the titular heroes and their nemesis, and each piece of casting news has sparked discourse among fans.

Now that we know the film's main cast (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach), we can take a look at who might have played a part in the movie in some other universe. From fan picks to expensive negotiations, here's a look at all the actors who missed the boat.

Was Paul Mescal in talks to play Johnny Storm in the new "Fantastic Four" movie? The rumor first emerged a couple of years ago, from the mouth of Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via Heroic Hollywood). Beloved by fans across the globe, Mescal's appearance in the film would have certainly sparked discourse, but probably would have brought new fans to the cinema as well.

Though Mescal was a popular fancast for the role of the Human Torch, as it turns out, he was never in the running to begin with. Josh Horowitz asked Mescal about the rumor that he was in talks to star in the film on his "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. "I don't think it's...I don't think it's for me. It's not for me. I think...I wasn't brought up watching those films. I wasn't drawn to them. I was more of a 'Lord of the Rings' guy in that sense," Mescal responded.

At the time of the interview, Mescal had just starred in his first blockbuster film, "Gladiator II," and was in the middle of a worldwide press tour for the movie. As several users noted in the comments of the YouTube video, the actor looked exhausted during the interview, illustrating how tiring starring in these big films can be. One imagines that an indie actor like Mescal might want to take a break from big-budget Hollywood films for a while. Still, the "Fantastic Four" cast isn't far from home for Mescal, as Joseph Quinn (who plays Johnny Storm) and Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards) both starred alongside Mescal in "Gladiator II."

Fans who thought John Krasinski would make the perfect Reed Richards had their wish granted, just not in "Fantastic Four: First Steps." In the audio commentary for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," director Sam Raimi revealed how Krasinski's brief foray into the MCU came about. "It's so funny that [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] cast John because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be. And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, 'Let's make that dream come true,'" Raimi explained (via TheDirect).

Because of Krasinski's role in that film, it's no surprise that fans hoped he would star in an "Fantastic Four" film as well. But that was never in the cards. Krasinski told TheWrap that he flew to L.A. for a day to "play in that sandbox" for his "Doctor Strange" cameo, but that was the extent of his involvement. Beyond that, "there [weren't] any discussions at all" about the character, Krasinski shared.

It makes sense that Krasinski's Reed Richards wouldn't appear in "Fantastic Four," considering his untimely demise -– he was brutally murdered, or "turned into spaghetti," as Krasinski put it -– in "Doctor Strange." As the title suggests, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" takes place in an alternative universe, and that version of Reed was never meant to last. To make things more confusing, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" also takes place in an alternative universe, but not the same one as "Doctor Strange." To put it simply, John Krasinski and Pedro Pascal play different versions of the same character.

In February of 2023, Deadline reporter Justin Kroll suggested that the "Fantastic Four" team was getting ready to start casting the film, and that "the belief is the focus will be casting Sue Storm first and building out the rest of team after she is set." Interestingly enough, most of the casting rumors about the film have centered on the male characters, and it appears Sue Storm wasn't that difficult to cast after all.

But while Vanessa Kirby was eventually cast as Sue Storm in the film, she wasn't the first name on the list. According to Jeff Sneider on "The Hot Mic" podcast, Marvel's first choice was Emma Stone, though there was early chatter about Margot Robbie and Kirby. "I'm told that they went to Emma Stone, and for 72 hours, Emma Stone was looking like Sue Storm," Sneider shared.

Sneider suggested that Stone said she'd do it for a hefty price, and he estimates her quote was somewhere around $20 million. Marvel supposedly turned her down, and the teams parted ways. If the studio was looking to build the movie around Sue Storm, an Oscar-winning, A-list actress like Stone would be a smart choice. Kirby, though popular, isn't at the same level as Stone. The final cast list holds up against Sneider's assumption that Marvel wanted to spread the money out more evenly among the cast, though Pascal is by far the biggest name in the film, as we are in the midst of Pedro Pascal fever.

In the early days of casting for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," Emma Stone and Adam Driver were in talks to play married couple Sue Storm and Reed Richards. We know neither actor took the role, but discussions with Driver went differently than those with Stone. There were rumors for quite some time that Marvel was eyeing Driver for the role, and things were looking serious in the spring of 2023. Hollywood scooper Daniel Richtman reported that Driver was circling the role in April, and insider Jeff Sneider noted in his podcast later that month that Driver had officially been offered the role (via ComingSoon.net).

In July of that year, new information came to the fore. Sneider returned to "The Hot Mic" with another scoop about Driver that in some ways contradicts his earlier report. "They [someone reportedly working on the movie] said that Adam Driver was never really engaged in this. They sent Adam Driver the script a while back and he said that he couldn't connect with the character on the page, and he passed very early on," he shared (via Cinema Blend).

While Driver isn't set to appear in the upcoming "Fantastic Four" film in any capacity, Reed Richards wasn't the only Marvel role he was considered for. Following his tenure as Kylo Ren in the "Star Wars" universe, one fan created fan art suggesting he would make a great Doctor Doom, the primary antagonist of the Fantastic Four and one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time. That didn't happen, of course, as Galactus (Ralph Ineson) serves as the primary villain in "Fantastic Four" and Robert Downey Jr. returned to the MCU to play Doctor Doom in the next "Avengers" film.

In another world, Vanessa Kirby could have had another British co-star with her on the set of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." In August of 2023, Above the Line's Jeff Sneider reported that Kirby and Joseph Quinn were officially frontrunners to play Sue Storm and Johnny Storm, respectively. At some point during this period, Sneider claimed that Matt Smith "was in discussions to play Reed Richards at one point, but sources don't expect that deal to work out, and Marvel is now said to have set their sights on a bona fide movie star to play Mr. Fantastic."

According to Daniel Richtman's Patreon (via ComicBookMovie.com), Marvel officially offered Smith the role that summer, though it wasn't clear what his response was. In September, the X account @MyTimeToShineH claimed that Smith passed on the role just before the SAG-AFTRA strike began in July.

Best known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who," Smith has more recently found acclaim playing Daemon Targaryen in the "Game of Thrones" prequel "House of Dragon." Smith might not be the most obvious choice for Mister Fantastic, but as one fan wrote in the comments of a ComicBookovie.com article, "he could totally play one of the smartest men in the world." (Richards is widely considered the smartest man alive in the comics.)

In October 2023, DiscussingFilm alleged that "The Fantastic Four have been cast & will be announced once the strike is over." But according to industry scooper Daniel Richtman, that wasn't the case. "They haven't done casting yet but now that the strike is over they'll get right to it. First thing first, seeing if Jake Gyllenhaal will accept the offer for Reed Richards," Richtman wrote on X.

The rumor about Gyllenhaal's potential casting spread like wildfire among Marvel fans, though opinions on the choice were mixed. For one thing, Gyllenhaal has already appeared in the MCU. He played the villain Mysterio in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," and almost replaced Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man in the 2004 sequel. On Reddit, fans wondered if Marvel would acknowledge this crossover if Gyllenhaal were to play Reed. While some noted that Gyllenhaal would make a good Mister Fantastic had he not already played Mysterio, he wasn't the most popular choice for the part.

Obviously, Gyllenhaal did not accept the role, and it went to Pedro Pascal instead. Following the official casting announcement, Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider confirmed that Gyllenhaal was in the running, but that he wanted too much money, similar to Emma Stone. Sneider also alleged that Marvel head Kevin Feige worried the cast was "way too white," which may have influenced Pascal's inclusion in the film.

Though many of the casting rumors about "Fantastic Four: First Steps" centered on the titular heroes, plenty of fans wondered about the identity of the film's villains as well. When it was announced that Julia Garner would play the Silver Surfer in April 2024, further speculation about the movie's villainous elements emerged. That same month, Deadline reporter Justin Kroll confirmed what many fans hoped –- that Galactus will be the film's main villain, but "that role is currently open with no one in talks or holding offer for role."

Jeff Sneider of The InSneider had a different take. In November 2023, he wrote that Javier Bardem was the frontrunner to play Galactus, but that he may have had a scheduling conflict due to his involvement in the film "F1." Antonio Banderas was another name that came up in conversation about Galactus, but no other information emerged about that rumor. In February 2024, Sneider returned to his claim about Bardem, suggesting that the actor was still Marvel's top choice for the role, but scheduling issues remained.

The role eventually went to English actor Ralph Ineson, known for his deep voice and thick Yorkshire accent. Whether this version of Galactus will be British or not remains to be seen, though it's essential that Galactus have a powerful voice given that much of the character will be depicted using motion capture and CGI. In May 2025, fans got their first glimpse at Galactus' design for the "Fantastic Four" movie (in a Snapple ad, of all places), and it looks properly monumental, to say the least.

Casting rumors don't often come from the mouths of actors themselves, so it's always interesting to hear from performers about the roles they didn't book. Rahul Kohli told one such story, though he wasn't happy with how his words were framed. In an interview with Salaam Nerds, Kohli shared his thoughts on fancasting, noting that it feels good to know that people want to see him in more roles. He briefly addressed the idea that he would be a great Reed Richards in "Fantastic Four," though stopped short of explaining what kind of discussions he had with Marvel about the role. "I didn't get it, is the important thing," Kohli concluded.

Days later, a Deadline article about the interview included the headline "Rahul Kohli Talks Losing 'Fantastic Four' Role Of Reed Richards," suggesting that the actor was "close to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe" and was "being considered for the role." Kohli took issue with how the article extrapolated from what he shared. In an Instagram story, he wrote that "this is being blown way out of proportion." He continued, writing "I didn't say I was in the running or I lost to Pedro Pascal or I was being considered or close to being in it." Kohli clarified that they were never "up against each other," nor was he "in his league to begin with."

Kohli's story is an interesting example of how rumors and exaggerations spread online, especially when it comes to Hollywood gossip. As the X user who posted Kohli's comments wrote, "This is the importance of properly citing sources accurately. Otherwise, you get a really bad game of Telephone."

Hollywood heartthrob Nicholas Galitzine, best known for films like "Red, White & Royal Blue" and "The Idea of You," could have brought swooning fans to the theater were he cast in Marvel's upcoming "Fantastic Four" movie. The rumor mill alleged that Marvel was eying Galitzine for Johnny Storm, a role that eventually went to fellow Brit Joseph Quinn. Speaking with Variety, Galitzine explained that the rumor got so popular he called to check in with his team just in case. "I was like, 'Guys, I'm sure it's not true, but I have to make certain it's not true. And they go, 'Yeah, it's not true,'" he shared.

He admitted that he did have "conversations" about the part, but that was the extent of his involvement in the MCU. Still, he does have a slight connection to the film, as Quinn is a friend of his, and Galitzine found out he got the part before the rest of the world did.

So far, much of Galitzine's career has seen him playing royals. He played a prince in "Red, White & Royal Blue," the King in "Mary & George," and Prince Charming in the 2021 "Cinderella" remake. His character in "The Idea of You" was something of a prince as well –- he played a beloved boy band singer a lá Harry Styles. As such, the superpowered Human Torch might seem slightly out of his wheelhouse, but he does have a different superhero role on the horizon. He'll play He-Man, who amazingly is also a prince, in the almost scrapped Netflix live-action "Masters of the Universe" film.

David Krumholtz tends to play smart, nerdy characters, from Michael in "10 Things I Hate About You" to Charlie in "Numb3rs" to physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi in "Oppenheimer." He's also a big comic book fan, and as he told Entertainment Weekly, it's been his dream to be a part of the MCU someday. Krumholtz spoke with "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" director Matt Shakman about the role of Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing. (In contrast to Krumholtz's previous roles, Grimm is not the smartest member of his team. That distinction goes to Reed Richards.)

Explaining how the meeting came about, he said "I only met him on the strength of a Twitter post or an Instagram post that I then took down two hours after I posted it." He was embarrassed by the post, but decided to be bold and beg Shakman for the part when they sat down to discuss it. The part went to "The Bear" star Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who Krumholtz thought was a good choice in the end.

Krumholtz didn't give up after that first rejection though. Later, he made an X post suggesting he would be the perfect person to play Mole Man, an antagonist of the Fantastic Four in the early comics. "I mean, it's a shoe-in for Mole Man, isn't it? But I don't know. I'll do anything Marvel tells me to. I'll probably end up playing like a superhero's therapist," he told EW.