Jake Gyllenhaal Reportedly Up for Reed Richards Role in Marvel's FANTASTIC FOUR
One of the latest casting rumors for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four movie is saying that Jake Gyllenhaal is up for the role of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. This report comes from the reliable inside scooper Daniel Richtman, but it’s still hard for me to believe.
He shared on social media: “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.”
What makes this hard for me to believe is the fact that Gyllenhaal has already played a major character in the MCU as the villain Mysterio. So it would seem really odd to see Gyllenhaal in the role of Mr. Fantastic. This would seem like more of a What If…? Marvel story scenario, and there’s also the whole alternate universe thing they could play with the multiverse, but who knows! I guess it wouldn’t be the strangest thing Marvel has done.
Adam Driver was previously said to be up of the role of Reed Richards, and Venessa Kirby was said to be up for Sue Storm. With the actors’ strike over, Marvel will be able to move forward with casting the film and it will be interesting to see who ends up in the lead roles.
Fantastic Four is currently in development with WandaVision's Matt Shakman set to direct the movie. The movie is currently on track to be released in 2025. He previously teased that this movie is going to be very different than anything we’ve seen in the MCU yet, saying:
"It's different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."
When talking about the pre-production work that’s been done on the film, he said:
"We have been nonstop. Despite the strikes, yes, we've been working with the effects and with production design and building our world, and that's been incredibly exciting. You know, how do you translate those skills into live-action in dynamic ways? Because some things that work beautifully in John Byrne and Jack Kirby are a little tougher when you're filming them. How do you make sure that things are exciting but also grounded in a scientific thing, which is also part of the Fantastic Four that I love? There's some stuff I'm super excited about. I can't say too much, you know?"
Kevin Feige also talked about the movie saying that Marvel’s first family is going to be a big pillar of the future of the MCU. He said:
“The only other one in terms of me personally and my 23-year history is the Fantastic Four. We sort of talked about mutants and that whole aspect to the Marvel world, but Fantastic Four is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics. There's certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that's something that is really exciting for us. People will start to hear more about that soon. We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they've been in the comics for 50 or 60 years.”
Marvel producer Stephen Broussard previously promised that the film will be a true celebration of the original source material from the comics:
“I wouldn’t presume to know everything about that film; I’m not necessarily working on it. But one of the founding principles of Marvel, going back to Iron Man and the casting of Tony that I think has resonated through today, is to embrace the source material and these comics that have been around forever. They’re older than me, and I’m guessing they’re older than you too. They’ve been around for a while for a reason, [so we] lean into that.”
I really do hope that this movie delivers something awesome and unique. Fantastic Four arrives in theaters on May 2nd, 2025.