Marvel's Fantastic Four Cast Confirmed, New Poster Hints At 1960s Setting

It's been a long time coming, but Marvel's first family has officially rounded into form. In a shocking and out-of-nowhere announcement this morning, Marvel Studios dropped the bombshell on fans everywhere in a series of social media posts. Simply titled "The Fantastic 4," the studio's long-awaited reboot of the popular comic book superhero team now has a snazzy new logo, release date, and a surprising (and not-so-surprising) cast to go along with it. We already knew that Pedro Pascal had signed on the dotted line to play Reed Richards, but rumors surrounding the rest of the quartet had continued unabated. Well, put those to rest as we can now say that Pascal will be joined by "Mission: Impossible" star Vanessa Kirby as Susan Richards, "The Bear" star Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben/GrimmThe Thing, and "Stranger Things" Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm. How's that for a flex?

And now, about that logo. The throwback font all but screams "1960s," heavily suggesting that director Matt Shakman's ("WandaVision") new movie could take place as a period piece in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's past. This would line up with the original comics that first introduced the family, as well as with the hopes of countless fans who theorized... Well, pretty much the exact same thing. Oh, and that's not all. Marvel also announced on Twitter (or X, if you're a square) that the film will arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025. Got all that? Good. Now let's break it down.

Who saw this coming? After years of teasing (including a John Krasinski cameo in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"), we now have our official Fantastic Four cast. Fans already lost their minds over the idea of Pedro Pascal lending his star powers to the franchise's biggest stretchy hero, but that was nothing compared to the amount of information that Marvel just dumped on us to celebrate this year's Valentine's Day. Vanessa Kirby was always a fan-casting favorite for the role of Sue Richards, she being one of Hollywood's premiere action-stars. It's no minor detail that Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, will also be played by a Jewish actor in Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who most recently starred in "The Bear" and is also known for his roles in "The Punisher" and "Andor." As for Joseph Quinn, the "Stranger Things" star adds a welcome dose of youth and (presumably) hotheadedness to Johnny Storm, a character previously played by both Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan in prior iterations.

Marvel Studios

Fans will have to wait until July of 2025 to ring in the first family in style, but the next year and change is sure to be packed with new reveals and surprises — including but not limited to their villain (Doctor Doom, perhaps?), setting details, and more. On the subject of setting, it's worth noting that "Ant-Man" director Peyton Reed once attempted to bring the four to life in the early 2000s for a movie that would've taken place in the 1960s and borrowed heavily from the throwback aesthetic that Marvel now appears to be leaning into. As Marvel faces its first prolonged slump (of sorts), this news couldn't have been more well-timed. The future seems bright and we'll see where it takes us.