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Fantastic Four cast rumor might tell us who plays Reed Richards

Published Feb 1st, 2023 12:50PM EST
Marvel's Fantastic Four hits theaters on May 2, 2025.
Image: Marvel Studios

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One of the most exciting things about Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot for the MCU is the speculation around the film’s cast. We’ve seen so many leaks and rumors about the contenders for the Fantastic Four roles already. And we’re far from being done. It looks like Marvel is considering every potential lead it can for the four superheroes. That’s why these cast rumors keep changing. And the latest Fantastic Four leak gives us a new potential front-runner for Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic.

Before we go on, we’ll warn you that some spoilers might follow.

The days when John Krasinski seemed to be Marvel’s next Mr. Fantastic are long gone. The actor said so recently. He explained that the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cameo was a one-off appearance.

Since then, we’ve heard various other names connected to the highly coveted role. Some said that Adam Driver is the front-runner for Reed Richards. We also recently heard that Ryan Gosling might be discussing a Fantastic Four role. While Mr. Fantastic seemed unlikely, it was a possibility. They join an increasingly long list of actors who might be negotiating for the role.

Diego Luna is one of the names in leaks, with the actor avoiding earnestly addressing the Fantastic Four rumors in recent interviews.

John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2.
John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2. Image source: Marvel Studios

Dev Patel might be the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards

Fast-forward to late January, and the Redditors who manage the MarvelStudiosSpoilers community posted a list of leaks and rumors that supposedly come from trusted sources.

The bulk of the post focuses on the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ending and credits scenes and the next trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

But that’s where we got the new Fantastic Four Reed Richards tidbits. Apparently, Adam Driver is “not even close” to being a front-runner for the Mr. Fantastic role. Some rumors said Driver could always play Doctor Doom, even if that meant taking another masked villain role after his Kylo Ren character in Star Wars.

The leak also says that Diego Luna was in the running for the Reed Richards role, but that’s no longer the case. If the source of this Fantastic Four leak is accurate, then Dev Patel is now the “number one choice” to play Mr. Fantastic.

Adam Driver is not even close to being a front runner, and Diego Luna was up and running at one point but not anymore. Dev Patel is the number one choice for Reed right now. Marvel want’s the team to have POC in it.

Marvel reportedly wants to have people of color on the Fantastic Four team, a claim we have heard before. Even without rumors, the MCU has become increasingly more diverse since the start of Phase 4. We’d expect any superhero team to illustrate the same diversity, whether it’s the Fantastic Four or the X-Men.

Needless to say that we can’t confirm this Reed Richards rumor right now. And there’s no telling when Marvel will announce the entire cast. Just don’t be surprised to learn that a different actor might be the front-runner for Mr. Fantastic a few weeks from now.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.