Fantastic Four director says filming will start early next year – and dispels casting rumors

Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman has confirmed when the movie is due to start filming, as well as addressing the casting rumors that have surrounded the film since it was announced at D23. 

Shakman revealed that filming is set to kick off "early next year" in an interview with Collider. "All the casting stuff you see is just rumors," he added. "We are early in our process there. We have nothing to announce right now and, certainly, when we do we'll let you know."

Perhaps the most prolific of the "casting stuff" has been that John Krasinski would reprise the role of Reed Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic, after playing an alternate universe version of him in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Casting speculation has also included Emily Blunt, Saoirse Ronan, and Jodie Comer as Sue Storm.

Fantastic Four won't be Shakman's first foray into the MCU since he took over the directing reins from Jon Watts – he also helmed all nine episodes of WandaVision on Disney Plus. He's also set to direct two episodes of Godzilla and the Titans, a small-screen installment of the MonsterVerse coming to Apple TV Plus.

Fantastic Four is set to hit the big screen on February 14, 2025. Next up for Marvel, though, is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which arrives in theaters this February 17. In the meantime, make sure you're up to date on everything that's still to come in the MCU with our guides to Marvel Phase 5 and Marvel Phase 6.