Mia TaylorFunctional support
marvel studiosMarvel Entertainment has revealed the cast for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, and it’s worth noting that the cast is half-British. Will this new cast be able to turn around a previously failing series?
Marvel Entertainment decided to spend February 14th of this year not with flowers and candy, but with a big reveal of the cast lineup for the upcoming film Fantastic Four. The latest film in the series will be directed by Matt Shakman and will be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.
Marvel Entertainment officially announced The company announced on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) that it has cast Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn in its next film.
This will be the fourth Fantastic Four movie, following previous releases in 2005, 2007 and 2015 based on the Marvel Comics superhero team. In case you need a refresher, 2005’s Fantastic Four wasn’t well-received by critics.Rotten Tomatoes critics rated it simply 28% BBC culture critic Owen Gleiberman said:cute [and] It was cluttered.“However, the film did well at the box office. It has earned $333 million (£264 million) worldwide.
AlamyFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, released in 2007, was better. 38% return A reviewer from Rotten Tomatoes called the film an “improvement on its predecessor” but “nevertheless a childish, simplistic picture with little merit beyond special effects.”This movie incorporated about $289 million (£229 million) World wide. His next work, in 2015, received better critical acclaim and the series stalled significantly. only 9% On Rotten Tomatoes. BBC Culture’s Gleiberman calls it “Just a small fragment of the origin storyBox office revenue was also lackluster. $167m (£133m) Worldwide, this is well below the 2005 and 2007 products.
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Despite this reality, Marvel continues to develop the Fantastic Four series. And this time, the star lineup includes two British actors. Kirbyhas achieved fame on British stage, television and film, including her most recent BAFTA-winning performance as Princess Margaret. Netflix series “The Crown”.There is also that Quinn, He is perhaps best known for his acclaimed role as Eddie on. stranger thingsalso from Netflix.
Rounding out the cast are U.S.-born moss backrackbest known for winning an Emmy Award. Role in “The Bear” who previously appeared in a short-lived television series Punisher, Lasted from 2017 to 2019 pascalOriginally from Chile. He has played key roles in a string of hit films, including Disney+’s The Mandalorian, HBO’s Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, and the Netflix series Narcos.
So far, cultural commentators and film critics have responded positively to Marvel’s choice of actors and are more moderate, but hopeful, about the decision to produce a new installment of the struggling film franchise. I support it.
actors
The cast of the next Fantastic Four may not be famous action heroes like Will Smith in his heyday or recently. dwayne johnsonBut that doesn’t mean Marvel’s selections lack star power or charm, critics say.
“This is a cast of superheroes, at least to film critics who have been praising their talent for years,” he says. amy nicholson, Rotten Tomatoes film and television critic. “It seems like whoever put these two together is taking a chance on making a comic book movie with some really phenomenal performances. For the sake of the actors, I wish them all the best.”
In fact, Nicholson argues that perhaps we’re all a little too used to seeing only blockbuster celebrities play such roles.
“Hollywood is too dependent on stars,” Nicholson continues. “These days, it’s rare for a multi-million dollar production, let alone a superhero series, to get the green light without a big name.”
Nicholson explains that these casting requirements hinder the development of new movie stars, just as Superman launched Christopher Reeve’s career. In an ideal world, she says, more producers would go in the same direction with her next film, Fantastic Four.
Moreover, ben sandersThe University of Oregon professor of comics, comics studies and pop culture, who founded the school’s comics studies program, said: If Pascal, who has played a number of high-profile roles, isn’t a true A-list star, Then who?
Saunders suggests that reviving the struggling series with a British-leaning cast isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
“This is probably not the first time that British talent has helped reinvigorate and reimagine great parts of American culture,” Saunders says. “In the mid-1980s, many of Britain’s greatest comics creators went to work for American publishers, and some of the most influential comics of the second half of the 20th century came from that era.”
Look no further than the two British creators behind it. “Watchmen” by American DC Comics – alan moore and dave gibbons. Thanks to the talents of British-born Moore and Gibbons, Watchmen became one of his bestselling and most acclaimed graphic novels of the past 50 years (it was later adapted into a film and TV series). ), says Sanders.
AlamyIt remains to be seen whether the two British actors will have a similar impact on the success of the next Fantastic Four movie.but Sean BallmanFandomWire’s film reviewer notes that the casting decision for the duo opens the door to some interesting choices for character development.
“It will be interesting to see what Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn bring to their roles,” he says. “Interestingly, the characters they play, Sue and Johnny Storm, are brothers.”
Ballman wonders if the film will take advantage of Kirby and Quinn’s shared nationality to make the film’s characters British. “It’s very different from the version played by Jessica Alba and Chris Evans in the 2000s, or Kate Mara and Michael B. “Maybe we can put it to good use,” he says.
And, like Saunders, Bollman says, “The new cast has enough star power to attract audiences, whether they’re British or not.” He calls it the most star-studded cast outside of The Eternals, including Angelina Jolie and Selma Hayek.
“The Fantastic Four is known as Marvel’s ‘First Family,’ so this movie doesn’t need a ‘movie star’ on the level of Angelina Jolie or Salma Hayek to connect with audiences,” Ball said. Mann says. “Fresh yet familiar faces like Pascal and Quinn will be more than enough to excite moviegoers.”
Fantastic Four’s delayed success
Previous Fantastic Four films were unpopular with critics, but Sanders disputes those who claim the films did not do well commercially.
“There have been three Fantastic Four movies this century, and the first two did well,” Sanders suggests. “They made millions of dollars. If the first movie didn’t do well, they wouldn’t have made the second one. Perhaps the cultural amnesia here is that the last Fantastic Four movie was a huge hit. It’s a result of the fact that it did, and it probably made sense to do so. But it was what it was.” It wasn’t made by Marvel Studios. [20th Century] Fox. “
If the next film in the series flops like the 2015 film, Saunders insists it won’t be a byproduct of the actors chosen. “I’ve seen the entire current cast in other projects, and they’re a talented bunch,” he continues. “It’s not the cast that’s the problem. They’re great. It’s the script that matters.”
There is also hope in the fact that the upcoming release is the first in a series produced by Marvel Studios, which will “significantly influence the final outcome.” Sanders added.
Boelman offered a similar assessment, suggesting that the Fantastic Four series thus far has suffered from a lack of quality. However, he is hopeful that things will improve in his next work.
“The 2005 film was a moderate financial success, but it was entertaining enough that we managed to make a small profit,” Bollman says. “Rise of the Silver Surfer” and his forgettable 2015 reboot failed because, frankly, no one liked it. [director] Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four is of such high quality that it will probably do better at the box office. Fans loved Marvel Comics’ previous film WandaVision, so the signs are there. ”
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