It’s hard to believe (even for True Believers!) that the group of characters that kicked-off the Marvel Age of Comics has yet to receive a truly accurate and satisfying film adaptation. We’re of course talking about Marvel’s first family, The Fantastic Four! After three go-arounds in Tinsel Town, the fab foursome are still looking for their big break in show business. Luckily for them, after years of turmoil, the movie rights to the charismatic characters have finally reverted to Marvel Studios in the wake of Disney’s acquisition of Fox.
With that, rumors and speculation have run rampant on the development of a new FF franchise. One constant throughout all of the gossip has been one famous actor’s enthusiasm to portray a certain scientist who stretches. For years, fans have championed The Office and A Quiet Place star John Krasinski to play Mr. Fantastic, and he’s readily reciprocated their casting zest. It turns out after all these years, Mr. Krasinski would still be down to play the part!
Krasinski recently sat down with Total Film for an interview where he was asked about the role. He said: “I would love to be in the Marvel Universe. I love those movies because they’re fun, but I also think they’re really well done. And certainly, a lot of my friends are in those movies. I have no idea what [Marvel] are thinking. But if they are considering me for Mr. Fantastic, continue to consider me because I would love it.”
Fans might remember back in the early days of the MCU, Krasinski was in the running to play Captain America before the part eventually went to Chris Evans. He even went so far as to try on the suit during the audition process as recounted in the video below:
Mister Fantastic is of course Reed Richards, the genius scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four. He first appeared way back in 1961’s Fantastic Four #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. After being exposed to cosmic rays on a rocket ride into outer space, he develops superhuman elasticity. The desire for Krasinski to play Reed Richards has led to countless fan art interpretations of the actor as the character spread across social media. Marvel Comics has even taken note, with artists using his likeness in actual issues of The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!
Not only is Krasinski rumored to still be up for the part, but his real-life wife, actress Emily Blunt, is being championed for the role of Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. Fueling the speculation are recent reports that Blunt met with Marvel Studios while filming Disney’s upcoming Jungle Cruise movie. Blunt was also famously cast as Black Widow years ago in Iron Man 2 but was forced to back out of the role due to scheduling conflicts. Fans see the re-acquisition of the Fantastic Four screen rights as fate moving in to give the two actors a second chance to join the MCU with parts that couldn’t be better suited for them – even if they were made of unstable molecules.
Although there has been no official announcement, the introduction of the Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a foregone conclusion. It’s no longer a matter of if but when. Whether Marvel Studios decides to go with John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to play the iconic comicbook characters or not, one thing is for sure: The Fantastic Four are finally going to be done justice on the silver screen, and for that we shout, “Flame on!”