RUMOR: Adam Driver Is Marvel's Top Choice For A 'Fantastic' Role

Adam Driver is one of the best working actors today. So it comes as no surprise that he may be in talks to play one of the most important comic book characters of all time.

Now, since Kevin Feige first announced plans for a Fantastic Four film set within the MCU at 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con, there have so many different rumors about who might be starring that by now it feels like any actor or actress is fair game. But one new rumor, backed up by three sources with successful track records, seems to claim that Driver is not only the latest actor linked to the project. Instead, it suggests that he’s Marvel’s very top choice for the lead in the film.

READ: ‘Fantastic Four’ Will Not be an Origin Story

A few months ago, industry insider Jeff Sneider shared that he had heard Driver was in talks for a role in the MCU. On his podcast The Hot Mic, he shared that Driver met with Marvel Studios over the Summer and that he might be in the cards to play Reed Richards a.k.a Mr. Fantastic or even Doctor Doom. Sneider also carefully noted that despite his source being a stranger who randomly DM’ed him, the news “smelled” right based on other things he had heard.

Fast forward to this week. In a recent video posted by the YouTube account Beyond the Trailer, host Grace Randolph hinted that she had heard some similar news about Driver being wanted for the upcoming Fantastic Four film. With no subtlety whatsoever, Randolph said, the actor was ” a front-runner for a certain stretchy role.”

It wasn’t until the team over at The Direct decided to ask some of their sources that the rumor started to sound real. As a result of their own due diligence, they discovered that Driver is apparently Marvel Studios’ top casting choice to play the new Reed Richards.

So with three vastly different sources hearing similar information at three very different points in time, you can draw your own conclusion as to whether or not Driver really is on Marvel’s radar. All we can continue to do is report on it as a rumor until it is finally confirmed. We urge you to take this news with a grain of salt until that happens too.

READ: RUMOR: Austin Butler In The Running For Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’

Kevin Feige briefly mentioned Fantastic Four during the Marvel Studios panel at Disney’s D23 Expo, only confirming Shakman’s involvement. Despite multiple rumors, no casting has been made or announced. Shakman will begin his casting search as the script is being written.

Feige recently revealed that their adaptation on the Fantastic Four will not be an origin story, but something akin to what they did when they brought Spider-Man into the MCU. “A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?” he continues, “We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”

The film will hit theaters February 14, 2025.

SOURCES: Jeff Sneider, Beyond the Trailer, The Direct