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Dream Casting: Fantastic Four
Dream Casting is an imaginative look at the casting process of potential Hollywood projects based on comics and other media. This isn't just about what is being made; this is about what should be made, and who we think should be the stars.
We now know that the Fantastic Four are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not as part of the next phase, but probably in the one after that. Neither of Fox's attempts at bringing Marvel's First Family to the screen really worked, but the MCU seems to have found a formula that makes for fun and popular superhero movies from just about any source material, so it's exciting to imagine what they'll do with the FF.
I've put together a cast that I think would be perfect for an MCU Fantastic Four, as well as some of their most important villains. Obviously not all the villains need to show up in the first movie, but I cast them figuring they should all show up sooner or later.
Here we go.
William Jackson Harper as Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic is a challenging character. He has to be kind of aloof and almost unfathomably intelligent, but you still need to root for him. In both The Good Place and Midsommar, William Jackson Harper plays charismatic intellectuals, and I think he could bring something fresh to Reed Richards.
Kristen Bell as Sue Storm
I didn't set out to reunite the central couplefrom The Good Place, and it was actually while watching the new season of Veronica Mars that I started thinking Kristen Bell needs to join the MCU. She'd be a perfect Invisible Woman, and we already know she has chemistry with Harper.
Dacre Montgomery as Johnny Storm
Dacre Montgomery (Power Rangers, Stranger Things) could believably play Kristen Bell's much younger brother, and he's got that old-fashioned teen heartthrob energy that the Human Torch really should have.
Pablo Schreiber as Ben Grimm
Pablo Schreiber (The Wire, American Gods) is a great actor who can bring the "from the streets" energy that Ben Grimm should have without making a joke out of it. He can play Ben as a human himself, and then do mo-cap for the Thing.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Dr. Doom
Previous attempts to bring Doom to the screen have lacked the sense of European nobility that's so key to who he is in the comics. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) has that in spades, as well as a voice and demeanor that can be truly menacing. Cover his handsome face in a creepy mask and he'll be terrifying.
Timothy Spall as the Mole Man
The Mole Man is a weird little guy who commands an army of giant monsters. That seems like exactly the sort of thing Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Mr. Turner) can do.
Steve Buscemi as the Puppet Master
Just shave Steve Buscemi's head and he's as close to looking like the Puppet Master as any real person could be. Even better, he's a fantastic actor who would have lots of fun with a weird part like this.
Lake Bell as Alicia Masters
Alicia is the Puppet Master's stepdaughter and ultimately becomes the Thing's love interest. With Lake Bell (Bless This Mess) in the role, she'll automatically have more backbone than she did in the original comics.
Keanu Reeves as Namor
There's been a lot of talk about who Keanu should play in the MCU, but if you ask me there's only one Marvel character whose charisma is a match for him, and that's the king of the seas, Namor the Submariner.
Ryan Gosling as the Silver Surfer
Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049) has avoided superhero franchises so far, and he may want to stick with that. On the other hand, once you bring in the Silver Surfer to the MCU, he's inevitably going to get his own movie. And if you've ever read a Silver Surfer comic, you know his movie will be philosophical, dramatic, and probably kind of trippy. Gosling would be great for that.
Dennis Haysbert as Galactus
Dennis Haysbert (The Dark Tower) has a great deep, resonant voice and a face that could probably pull off a purple helmet. In the MCU at this point, I genuinely think they could pull off a planet-eating giant, and Haysbert would be perfect for the part.
