Well, so much for those Javier Bardem rumors. Casting for The Fantastic Four has been heating up in recent weeks, with both John Malkovich and Paul Walter Hauser joining the cast, but one planet-eater-sized role has been missing from the headlines. We’ve known for a while that Galactus will be the main antagonist of the film, and now we know who will be playing him.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ralph Ineson will be portraying the cosmic bad guy, whose lieutenant Silver Surfer was also cast a few weeks ago — Julia Garner is set to play the part.
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Ineson thus joins a stacked cast comprised of emerging actors like Garner or Walter Hauser and more established names like Malkovich. The team is the best of both worlds, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn playing Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, respectively.
Bardem has been rumored for the part for months, succeeding fellow Spaniard Antonio Banderas in the speculation. Banderas being in the running was also backed up by the actor posting a video of a mold of his face being made, but whether that was for Marvel’s movie or not, we might never know. However, the casting process has been heating up in the past few months, while those rumors are much older.
Whatever the case, Ineson is now the man for the job, and we’re probably better off without all of the noisy speculation surrounding it. Even if you don’t recognize his name, he’s been present in your movie-watching life for a long time, having appeared in the last Harry Potter movies, 2015’s The Witch, in a small part in Guardians of the Galaxy, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and The Last Jedi, Roberg Eggers’ The Northman, last year’s The Creator, or the now-in-theaters The First Omen. He’s also in Nosferatu, coming out later this year, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Galactus is probably not going to be a one-off villain and Marvel might be setting him up for future appearances down the line. For now, Fantastic Four is opening up a lot of possibilities for the franchise as the MCU gets ready to welcome some of the most beloved characters from the comics. It’s a property that Marvel chief Kevin Feige has been itching for years to get his hands into, and which he’s been trying his best not to screw up.
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The script, which has been in development for a while, hails from Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, which were succeeded by Josh Friedman (who apparently did a near-page-one rewrite), and was most recently punched up by Eric Pearson (Black Widow). Matt Shakman directs. Filming is set to begin this summer in London ahead of its planned July 25, 2025, release date.
About The Fantastic Four
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Director: Matt Shakman
Writers: Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson; Based on the Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Producer: Kevin Feige
Production: Marvel Studios
Distribution: Walt Disney Studios
Cast: Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Ralph Ineson
Synopsis: TBA
What do you think about the casting of Galactus in Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie reboot? Who do you think will play Dr. Doom? And how excited are you to see the movie given these new additions? Let us know on our social media!
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
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