Fans were disappointed that the Comic-Con and D23 Expo news about the Fantastic Four film was sparse. Beyond the announcement that WandaVision director Matt Shakman will helm the project and has hired a writing team for the screenplay, no information about the casting or plot has been officially released. How reliable is the rumor of Tom Ellis potentially playing the leader of the Fantastic Four? Read on for more.
In an Instagram and Reddit post by DeuxMoi, it is alleged that Tom Ellis is one of the frontrunners to getting cast as Reed Richards for the Fantastic Four film. Aside from Tom Ellis, the post mentions others auditioning for major roles in the film. Maddie Hasson (Fixation) is allegedly in the running to play Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman. Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) and Michael Provost (Plan B) auditioned for Johnny Storm. The last one rumored is Jason Biggs (American Pie, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as having auditioned for the role of Ben Grimm/The Thing. Although it is rumored that the account DeuxMoi is a single anonymous insider, it is a group of Hollywood scoopers who maintain social media accounts that break gossip and possible news about celebrities and the entertainment industry. Their Instagram account identified them as ‘curators of pop culture’ while clarifying that their posts and breaking news are not confirmed: Thus, this news of Tom Ellis and other casting choices for the MCU Fantastic Four film should be taken with a grain of salt. With that said, Ellis is an interesting choice to play the logical and often emotionally passive Reed Richards. In his role as Lucifer Morningstar in the Lucifer series, Ellis portrayed a hedonistic, funny, and yet sympathetic version of the Lord of Hell. In the entirety of the show, Lucifer was often immature and more invested in having a good time than whichever serious concern was occurring at the moment, while still having an inner conscience. But this unorthodox approach to play the Devil powered three seasons on Fox, and additional seasons on Netflix due to overwhelming fan support. This is a complete opposite of how Reed Richards is depicted in the comic books and other media, including the live action films as previously played by Ioan Gruffud, Miles Teller, and John Krasinski. The leader of the Fantastic Four is dispassionate for anything other than science and discovery. Logic dictates his actions and while often correct, this made Richards distant from both his friends and family. Could Ellis pull off this complete one-eighty from his popular portrayal of Lucifer Morningstar? The Welsh actor certainly has the charisma and acting range to play Mister Fantastic. Ellis has even played an obsessed mad scientist before as Victor Frankenstein (Gothica, 2013). With the lukewarm response to the Marvel Cinematic Universe of the long-wished-for casting of John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, could Tom Ellis deliver a more accurate portrayal of the “smartest man in the world”? Although the casting is only a rumor and unofficial for now, this does present interesting possibilities for the Phase 6 MCU film, given that it is speculated that it will not be an origin story. Directed by Matt Shakman, with a screenplay by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, Fantastic Four is slated for a February 14, 2025 release date.
