Although there hasn’t been a lot of movement lately on the long gestating Fantastic Four reboot from Fox, that appears to be changing quickly, according to Variety. Sources speaking to Variety have confirmed that Simon Kinsberg, writer and producer on the film, has finished work on the script, and casting meetings will begin this month.
Considering the film has been moving at a glacial pace, the news is surprising. Director Josh Trank (Chronicle) signed on back in July 2012, and in February 2013 Matthew Vaughn was attached as a producer. Since then though, the only news has come on the scripting side. When Trank was hired, first-time screenwriter Jeremy Slater was also brought on to write the screenplay. In June 2013 Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows) was hired to polish the script, then in October 2013 Kinberg was brought on to produce and re-write portions of the screenplay.
With the news coming from Variety today, however, the project may be moving ahead quickly. Now that the story is set, the filmmakers are said to be preparing for auditions later this month. Several names have been mentioned in contention for the lead roles, including Miles Teller (21 & Over, Footloose), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones, Pompeii), and Richard Madden (Game of Thrones, Klondike). All three actors, and presumably several others, are expected to test for the role of Reed Richards.
For the role of Susan Storm, Reed Richards love interest the superhero known as the Invisible Woman, both Kate Mara (House of Cards, Deadfall) and Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, The Host) are said to be in contention.
The only actor currently attached in any capacity is Michael B. Jordan (The Wire, Chronicle, Fruitville Station) who will play Johnny Storm. He is expected to screen test with actors to test for chemistry.
The film will be a complete reboot for the franchise, and will not be connected with directory Tim Story’s Fantastic Four duology that starred Ion Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evan, and Michael Chiklis. Fox has hinted that its two Marvel-based properties – Fantastic Four and X-Men – may take the same path as the Marvel Studios films, and be part of the same, linked universe. With X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is due in theaters on May 23, 2014, it seems unlikely that the two properties will have any crossover in that film though.
Fantastic Four hits theaters on June 19, 2015.
Update: This article has been updated to correct a typo that misidentified Chris Evans.
