Credit: Sony PicturesAnother day, another Fantastic Four (2025) casting update. This time, it’s been reported that Emma Stone turned down a major role in the Marvel film due to salary concerns.
When Marvel Studios inherited the rights to Fantastic Four in Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox, it swiftly announced its own stab at the franchise with its own upcoming Fantastic Four adaptation. This will be the third cinematic iteration of Marvel’s First Family (fourth if you count the unreleased Roger Corman movie from the ’90s). For now, the project is due for release on February 14, 2025 – forming a part of Phase Six of the MCU – however, the ongoing Writer’s Strike may potentially impact those plans.
Matt Shakman, known for directing episodes of Marvel’s WandaVision, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and The Boys, will helm the project. Casting announcements are currently non-existent – but there are plenty of potential names floating around the internet.
While John Krasinski, famous for his roles in The Office and A Quiet Place (2018), portrayed an alternate universe’s Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Krasinski has suggested that his appearance was a one-off. Recent rumors have surfaced about Adam Driver instead being considered for the role of Richards, while Paul Mescal and Austin Butler are speculated to be in the running for the Human Torch.
Mila Kunis was linked to The Thing but denied rumors of her involvement (as well as hinting that she knows who’s actually in the film), while Vanessa Kirby, Jodie Comer, and Margot Robbie, known for her portrayal of DC’s Harley Quinn, have all been rumored for the role of Sue Storm.
According to industry insiders Jeff Sneider and John Rocha, another actress came very close to being cast as Storm. Speaking on their podcast “The Hot Mic,” the pair claim that Marvel reportedly approached Emma Stone for the role, only for negotiations to fall through due to salary negotiations.
This wouldn’t have been Stone’s first foray into the Marvel universe. She previously portrayed Gwen Stacy – girlfriend of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man – in The Amazing Spider-Man series. Sadly, Gwen met a tragic fate in the shortlived franchise’s second and final film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), but was mentioned by Garfield’s character in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
While it’s disappointing to hear that Emma Stone won’t be joining the Fantastic Four cast, all the names in Marvel’s rumored lineup sound like solid choices to take on the role of Sue Storm. Regardless of whoever they cast, fingers crossed that this version of Marvel’s First Family doesn’t fumble the bag like Fantastic Four (2015).