The new Fantastic Four film might have cut one major actor from the final cut.
Next month, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby will lead the superhero group’s official arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alongside Joseph Quinn and The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Other stars set to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps include Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson, who’ll play the villainous Silver Surfer and and Galactus, respectively.
A new press release also notes that the film will also star Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles, but one actor whose name is notably absent is John Malkovich.
Many were anticipating Malkovich’s mysterious role in the film, but his omission from the press release, shared by Disney, has Marvel fans convinced he’s been edited from the finished cut.
It’s worth noting that Malkovich still features on the film’s official website, so it could mean that Marvel is attempting to withhold Malkovich’s role to heighten the surprise for those unaware he was due to be in the film.
It’s been reported that Malkovich will play Red Ghost in the film, a villain known for his group, the Super-Apes.
Earlier this month, Marvel president Kevin Feige officially confirmed that the new film will lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday, an ensemble tying together all of the studios’ franchises.
Marvel is well known for its teasing post-credit scenes, meaning that the end of The Fantastic Four will tee up the reassemblage of the Avengers.
Doomsday is currently being shot in London, with Robert Downey Jr leading the cast. However, instead of playing the heroic Iron Man, he will play the film’s primary villain.
In March, it was announced that several original Avengers stars will make a return for the new film, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon; Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier; Tom Hiddleston as Loki; and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.
The Fantastic Four cast will appear in the film alongside a variety of characters from Thunderbolts (recently renamed The New Avengers), as well as the Black Panther and X-Men films.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on 25 July.
