MCU ‘Fantastic Four’: Adam Driver Reportedly Closed the Deal with Marvel Studios to Play Reed Richards

We’ve recently written about all the actors that have been rumored to appear in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot that Marvel Studios is currently developing, with Matt Shakman set to direct.

While Marvel Studios officially still remains silent about the actors they’re planning to hire for the roles of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing, we have recently heard a rumor that Adam Driver (best known as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren from Star Wars sequel trilogy) is in final negotiations with Marvel Studios to join Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Reed Richards.

Adam Driver closed the deal with Marvel Studios?

Now, according to a new, unofficial update, Driver and Marvel Studios have reportedly closed the deal, and Driver will debut as Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. If this proves to be true, it is most likely that Marvel Studios will reveal Driver as Reed Richards, along with the rest of the cast, at one of the upcoming presentations, most likely this year’s San Diego Comic-Con in July.

According to this, Adam Driver would be the fourth official actor to play Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, in live-action. Ioan Gruffudd played the character in the original Fantastic Four movie in 2005 and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, in 2007. In 2015, Miles Teller played the character in Fant4stic, one of the worst superhero movies ever made, and in 2022, John Krasinski played a variant of Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Adam Driver gained worldwide recognition in 2015 when he debuted as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He reprised the role in two sequels; 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Adam Driver is also known for starring in acclaimed movies BlacKkKlansman and Marriage Story, for which he gathered two consecutive Academy Award nominations. He also starred in two movies directed by Ridley Scott; The Last Duel and House of Gucci.

Fantastic Four, also known as Marvel’s first family, debuted in comic books in 1961, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The first attempt to produce a live-action movie adaptation was in 1994, but that movie was ultimately scrapped. In 2005, Fox released the first official Fantastic Four movie, which received mixed reviews, just like its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, in 2007.

In 2015, Fox rebooted the franchise with Fant4stic. Critics and audiences panned the movie, and to this day, it remains one of the worst superhero movies ever made. The plans for the sequel were canceled, and in 2019, Disney purchased Fox, which brought the movie rights for Fantastic Four back to Marvel Studios.

The newest reboot, which will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was announced in December 2020, with Jon Watts set to direct. After releasing his Spider-Man: No Way Home, Watts abandoned the project, and the WandaVision director Matt Shakman stepped in to replace him.

The Fantastic Four movie, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is set to be released on February 14, 2025. It will be the first movie of MCU’s Phase 6 and will reportedly start production in January 2024.