Besides Matt Smith, Adam Driver, Penn Badgley, and in a bizarre casting rumor, "Spider-Man" star Jake Gyllenhaal have also been linked to Mister Fantastic. When it comes to the former Time Lord, however, his chances for the gig seem to be going back and forth.
On August 1, leaker Daniel Richtman broke the rumor that Smith got into the running for the role just before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike. This was followed up by the Streamr, which, after having previously confirmed with Smith's reps that he was not cast for the role of Reed Richards, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, "We again reached out today and, instead of a confirmation or flat out denial as was previously made, we were told, 'No comment,' on whether Matt Smith was cast in the upcoming 'FANTASTIC FOUR' movie."
The only thing stopping the world from knowing who will be taking the role is the SAG-AFTRA strike. As director Matt Shakman explained to Collider, "Once that's resolved, there'll be a plan at that point, but I can't say too much." Making sure not to pencil in any dates on the calendar, he added, "There will be an announcement at some point! I know that the internet is very excited to find out, and I'm excited to share it. I just can't do it yet." So who knows? Smith might find himself in a fantastic situation sometime soon after all.
This piece was written during 2023's SAG-AFTRA strike. To learn more about why actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.
