“Russian Doll” and “Poker Face” star Natasha Lyonne has reportedly joined the growing cast of Marvel Studios’ reboot of the “Fantastic Four” that is expected to begin shooting this summer at Pinewood Studios UK. The comedic actress is one of a handful of recent additions to the latest MCU project alongside Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, John Malkovich, and Paul Walter Hauser, with the former playing the planet-eating supervillain, Galactus.
While Deadline announced the news first, their report fails to mention who exactly Lyonne is playing in “Fantastic Four” and how large the role actually will be.
Previously confirmed by Marvel back on Valentine’s Day, the main cast consists of Pedro Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.
“Fantastic Four” is tentatively set for release in theaters on July 25, 2025, and I’m sure we’ll keep getting neato casting updates throughout the next couple of weeks as we get closer to the film’s production start.
Marvel Studios is still casting roles for their upcoming reboot of “The Fantastic Four” and has added actor Paul Walter Hauser (“Cruella”) in a mystery part, according to both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. Who exactly Hauser is playing is unknown; we could theorize it is anything from a random supporting role to a villain like Mole Man or the voice of our heroes’ loyal robot, H.E.R.B.I.E., the latter being confirmed by official teaser artwork released by Marvel Studios back on Valentine’s Day.
After delivering “WandaVision,” Matt Shakman has been selected to direct the latest incarnation of “Fantastic Four” with a cast that consists of Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) as Dr. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (“Mission: Impossible” and “Fast & Furious” franchises) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear,” “Andor”) as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.
This update comes after Julia Garner (“Wolf Man,” “Ozark”) was tapped by the studio to play the Earth-X version of Silver Surfer with Norrin Radd’s love, Shalla-Bal, playing the herald of cosmic villain Galactus. From the teaser artwork, there are elements of our version of the 1960s (a Time Magazine from the era) but also a cityscape teasing a retro-futuristic setting that may hint the film won’t take place within the main MCU, Earth-616.
The budding comedic actor made a curious pivot into dramatic roles thanks to Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods,” Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewel,” and the prison drama “Black Bird.” There is a bit of a connection between Hauser and Shakman, as one of the first roles Hauser had was playing a teenage Juggalo on “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” which was a comedic series that Shakman directed and he did work on that episode from 2010.
“Fantastic Four” has a script from Eric Pearson (tackling the latest draft) with an expectation that shooting will start later this summer at Pinewood Studios UK and has a tentative release date of July 25, 2025 (be prepared for more MCU slate shifts between now and then).
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Marvel Studios has made it official by announcing the three main leads of their “Fantastic Four” reboot from director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and seemingly have also confirmed a 1960s-setting (1963?) alongside their robotic companion H.E.R.B.I.E. (Something I’ve been teasing on social media for years).
The lineup so far is Pedro Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (“The Thing”). Journalist Jeff Sneider was the first to report the subsequent names of the cast with industry insider Daniel Richtman being the first to mention that Pascal was in talks to play Richards.
Marvel made the announcement via their social media accounts and even posted a fun promo poster revealing that aforementioned 60s-setting. “Fantastic Four” is set to be released on July 25, 2025, and will begin shooting at the Pinewood Studios stages in the United Kingdom in the not-too-distant future.
We’re still waiting for the reveal of a villain and who will play them. Rumors have suggested that we could end up seeing a new incarnation of Doctor Doom, but that has yet to be made official by Marvel.
Check out that awesome teaser poster artwork below.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.
Last month, the internet was buzzing when Daniel Richtman revealed that Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian,” “The Last of Us”) was in talks to take on the role of Dr. Reed Richards in Marvel’s reboot of the “Fantastic Four” with trades backing up that claim. However, we’re still waiting on Marvel Studios to comment on that front but in the meantime, there seems to be a confirmation of sorts coming from the major actors’ union as SAG-AFTRA (via our longtime pal PJ Campbell) has revealed the actor is indeed part of the cast without naming his specific role.
The union’s website has a profile of the actor and revealed that he’s not only wrapped “Gladiator 2” (A sign of the recency of the posting) but he’s also expected to be shooting “Fantastic Four” soon. However, since the spotting, the line about “Fantastic Four” has been removed from the site (likely at the request of Marvel/Disney), but you can see the unaltered version of the paragraph below.
Matt Shakman, who helmed the popular DIsney+ series “WandaVision,” is set to direct with a script that has undergone a multitude of rewrites and polishes.
While there have been promises of the full cast being announced, it’s been weeks since that and we’re likely just going to have to be patient for trades/Marvel to reveal who is playing the other three members. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Disney changes their tentpole lineup.
SAG-AFTRA seemingly confirms that Pedro Pascal has signed on to star in Marvel’s Fantastic Four. pic.twitter.com/q0cnOoOOrA
Today, it was revealed in a report from Deadline that “Star Wars” franchise actor Pedro Pascal is now in talks with Marvel Studios to play Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic in their upcoming reboot of “The Fantastic Four,” which is being directed by Matt Shakman (“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” “WandaVision”).
However, they’re quick to mention Pascal hasn’t closed a deal for the part. That’s not hard to believe with a shoot at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom looming and a very busy Pascal has a multitude of projects to complete including his role in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” the second season of “The Last of Us,” a lead role in Zach Cregger’s next film “Weapons,” and not to mention a potential return for the fourth season of “The Mandalorian.”
Daniel Richtman, who is known for getting a leg-up on casting intel, was the first to post about the potential casting selection.
Although, SlashFilm has chimed in with a claim that Pascal has signed on. It’s maybe worth mentioning we haven’t had much in the way of scoops from the outlet in a very long time, yet, then again, they tend to only make claims they can back up.
Richards is considered the “smartest man in the world” and when the group is exposed to cosmic energy while in outer space end up developing super-human abilities with the good doctor becoming rubbery and able to stretch his body/limbs to extreme levels without injury.
The next big step ahead is finding the other actors to fill out the roles of Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Marvel changes their release dates.
“Fantastic Four” is one of the next big feature film productions for Marvel Studios. Director Matt Shakman recently spoke with Collider giving us a few minor updates on their plans for the reboot of Marvel’s “First Family.” While Shakman kept mum on any specific castings, he was able to confirm they’ll be shooting in the London area on the Pinewood Studios stages. Also, they’re hoping to get cameras rolling in the Spring, that’s if the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved in the near future.
Yes, we are definitely gonna go in front of cameras next year. Probably the spring,” Shakman said of the looming production start on “Fantastic Four.”
Also, the filmmaker promises it to be a lot “different” than the other MCU films we’ve seen.
“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.”
Screenwriter Josh Friedman, who had been hired to tackle rewrites on the film’s script is expected to resume writing very soon as the WGA strike has been resolved after a tentative deal was reached with the AMPTP. His previous credits include James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels, Apple’s sci-fi series “Foundation,” Steven Spielberg’s “War of The Worlds,” “Terminator: Dark Fate,” and the fourth installment of 20th Century’s modern “Planet of The Apes” franchise with “Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes” from filmmaker Wes Ball.
Of course, Pinewood (used more often these days) is a stage facility used by Marvel Studios for productions such as “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania,” “Guardians of The Galaxy,” “Doctor Strange,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Eternals,” “Black Widow,” and the yet-to-be-completed “Deadpool 3.” The latter is Marvel’s big attempt at an “X-Men” adjacent project since securing the rights to use mutants in their films and will bring Hugh Jackman back the Wolverine role after retiring it for James Mangold’s “Logan.” A film that gave the grizzled character a fitting end and death.
I have to assume once “Deadpool 3” wraps up production it’ll be time for “Fantastic Four” to move in as Shawn Levy has stated they only got 50% of filming completed before the SAG-AFTRA strike paused filming. Which why a spring start for Marvel’s other reboot would make logical sense.
However, we’re still in the dark about the casting of the film, and despite rampant rumors online of who exactly has been cast or has been in the mix, no official announcements have been made. The four main roles of Reed Richards (previously played by John Krasinski in Earth-838), Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are sure to be over-analyzed by fans given the last two attempts at the live-action franchise didn’t really impress folks. Although, Shakman seems to indicate that the casting announcement isn’t too far off once the strike is resolved.
Legendary is making sure that their Monsterverse franchise keeps expanding and a new spinoff series is expected to help with exactly that. Originally titled “Godzilla & The Titans,” the upcoming Apple TV+ series retitled “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is set to debut mid-November and aims to explore the origins of the secretive global organization Monarch. The group has been tasked for decades to not only keep the existence of Titans a secret but also have spent that same time researching them. It’s unknown if any of the new characters will make the ultimate jump to the feature films, but it wouldn’t be that shocking if the streaming series does end up planting seeds for the next solo “Godzilla” installment after “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is released next year.
The series has multiple directors handling episodes but the one that stands out is Matt Shakman, who previously worked on Marvel’s “WandaVision” and is still attached to helm their high-profile reboot of “The Fantastic Four.” It also sees both Kurt Russell and son Wyatt Russell (“The Falcon & The Winter Soldier,” “Overlord”) working together on the same project, as they play the same character on the show, Army Officer Lee Shaw. But in different periods of the character’s life as part of Monarch.
Apple has released a first-look teaser trailer, which you can view below. The 10-episode run will debut in November with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Friday through January 12.
Here is the show’s official logline via Apple:
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army Officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later when Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. Based on the Monsterverse from Legendary, and starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski, this dramatic saga — spanning three generations — reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.
As mentioned, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” will debut this November 17 on Apple TV+ and next year will see Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” hit the big screen on April 12. Although given multiple release dates being shuffled around, it’s possible that the latter date could shift in the coming months.
Irish actor Cillian Murphy is getting a lot of early Oscar buzz for his performance of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan‘s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer” along with decent box office success. Beyond the upcoming awards season, it also means studio offers could be around the corner for big tentpole projects. Murphy has previously dabbled with leading genre films with “28 Days Later,” the action-comedy “Free Fire” which co-starred Brie Larson, and the sci-fi thriller “Sunshine.” Of course, the actor isn’t a stranger to the world of superhero blockbusters either as he once auditioned to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy but ended up coming away with the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka, The Scarecrow in “The Batman Begins” returning in subsequent installments in brief cameos.
When speaking recently with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy Sad Confused, the host specifically asked Murphy if he would be open to the return to the superhero genre by asking if he’d be specifically open to the idea of playing Victor von Doom, aka, Doctor Doom for Marvel Studios’ new “Fantastic Four” movie.
“Yeah, I think you’ve answered the question. Yeah, I mean, I’m always… It’s always about the script. So, I’ll read… If someone sends a script, I’ll read it. And you never know what turns up,” Murphy responded to the Doom question.
Director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision“) is set for the reboot with script rewrites coming from “Avatar: The Way of Water” screenwriter Josh Friedman. Currently, the casting process has hit pause as both the actors’ and writers’ strikes are ongoing making it tough to get those “Fantastic Four” roles filled until the studios get back to the table to resolve the strikes.
Nothing says that Murphy would get an offer for roles like Doom or Reed Richards but he’s certainly the type of actor that Marvel tends to pursue. It doesn’t hurt he has a link to former Reed Richards actor Jonathan Krasinski (“Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness”) as he directed him in “A Quiet Place Part II” and fan-favorite actress for Sue Storm, Emily Blunt (Murphy worked with on “Oppenheimer” and “A Quiet Place Part II”).
“Fantastic Four” recently had its release date bumped from February 14, 2025, to May 2, 2025. Production had been originally planned to begin next year, but it’s unclear when cameras could begin rolling as the strike is looking like it might extend beyond the summer.
Paramount has been trying to put together Star Trek 4 for ages now. There had been some hope after hiring Matt Shakman to direct that things would be moving forward but when the studio announced they secured the returning cast, that was refuted by the actors in question that deals haven’t been finalized. Well, it looks like Shakman has already started the pre-production stage and is putting together a crew of his own.
The Ronin can reveal that Shakman is looking to reunite with WandaVision production designer Mark Worthington as he’s been added to the anticipated sci-fi adventure project. Worthington is no stranger to the Star Trek franchise as he’s worked on Star Trek: Discovery in the past. His credits as a production designer and art director include things such as Lost, Tombstone, Austin Powers In Goldmember, HBO’s Watchmen, and American Horror Story.
We can also confirm that the film’s working title will be Riverside. If you’re unfamiliar with franchise lore, the production title that will be used during filming is a direct nod to the hometown of James T. Kirk that is Riverside, Iowa.
At one point, an incarnation of the fourth film would have used time travel to see ChrisPine‘s Kirk meet up with his father George, who was played by Chris Hemsworth in the first reboot installment from 2009 before becoming Thor in the MCU. George, of course, dies and changes many of the events of Kirk’s life. However, those George Kirk resurrection plans seemingly dissolved when the actors and studio couldn’t agree on contracts/pay.
Despite Paramount’s optimism to get cameras rolling by the end of the year, it’s possible another delay could be on the horizon as Shakman is expected to shoot the Godzilla & The Titans series next.
A surprise attack in outer space forces the Enterprise to crash-land on a mysterious world. The assault came from Krall (Idris Elba), a lizard-like dictator who derives his energy by sucking the life out of his victims. Krall needs an ancient and valuable artifact that’s aboard the badly damaged starship. Left stranded in a rugged wilderness, Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew must now battle a deadly alien race while trying to find a way off their hostile planet.
Legendary and Apple have teamed up for a series spinoff of their Godzilla/Monsterverse franchise with Godzilla & The Titans. It’s been already announced that Matt Shakman will be directing and we’ve learned he’s reuniting with a familiar director of photography.
The Ronin has been able to confirm that WandaVision cinematographer Jess Hall is joining the Apple TV+ series. Some of Hall’s feature film credits include things like the live-action Ghost In The Shell movie that starred MCU alumni Scarlett Johansson and Edgar Wright’s fantastic action-comedy Hot Fuzz, part of his Cornetto trilogy.
Interestingly enough, speaking of Ghost In The Shell, that film’s director Rupert Sanders worked on Apple’s big sci-fi show Foundation which is heading into its second season.
The creative team behind Godzilla & The Titans includes Chris Black (who will also serve as showrunner) MattFraction, Joby Harold, and Tory Tunnell.
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the series explores one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.
Legendary’s Monsterverse is an expansive story universe of multi-layered experiences centering around humanity’s battle to survive in a world that is under siege by a catastrophic new reality — the monsters of our myths and legends are real. Beginning in 2014 with “Godzilla” and continuing with 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island,” 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” and 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” Monsterverse films have accumulated close to two billion dollars globally at the box office and is ever-expanding with the latest iteration being a new anime series, “Skull Island.”
On the Monsterverse’s theatrical front, Adam Wingard is directing a sequel to Godzilla vs Kong and will begin shooting sometime this year in Australia. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the next film, expected to explore the Hollow Earth, will feature dinosaurs after being previously teased in Kong: Skull Island.
Casting on Godzilla & The Titans is the next big step.
THE RONIN 