Back in 2010, John Malkovich was is the process of preparing to make his first ever Marvel movie, but things unfortunately didn't work out as planned. Director Sam Raimi wanted him to play Adrian Toomes a.k.a. The Vulture opposite Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4, but the project was scrapped prior to production, with the studio deciding to reboot the web-slinger franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man.
Now, almost a decade-and-a-half later, Malkovich is once again in line to join an upcoming Marvel blockbuster, as he is reportedly being added to the cast of Marvel Studios' upcoming Fantastic Four... and while there presently aren't any details about the part he will be playing, I find myself holding on to the thin hope that he will finally be getting his opportunity to play The Vulture.
The Fantastic Four casting update comes from Variety, which says that he has signed on to be in the Matt Shakman-directed film opposite Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Paul Walter Hauser, and Julia Garner. The trade doesn't offer any clues about the nature of his character or the size of the role... and when left with so much room to speculate, I find my fingers crossing that the film will involve some multiversal chaos that will allow Malkovich to play the villain role that got away.
There isn't anything publicly known about the movie that would necessarily count it out, and if it ends up playing with the idea that the titular team is from an alternate universe prior to becoming part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the presence of a version of a character we never got to see would be an amazing inclusion.
It's also worth nothing that there is already Vulture-related messiness in the multiverse, with Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes magically being sent to Sony's Spider-Man Universe in the end credits scene of Morbius, so why not add to the fun by doubling down and introducing an alternate version into the mix?
It's probably more likely that John Malkovich has signed on to play a role like Franklin Storm (the father of Sue and Johnny Storm), but I'm going to hold out hope that things get a bit creative and wild in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first Fantastic Four movie.
The upcoming blockbuster remains shrouded in secrecy, but hopefully more details about the exciting project will be revealed as we get closer to the start of production, which aiming for late summer. We'll hopefully continue to hear about more casting additions that give us a clearer idea of what the film will be – and perhaps confirmation of some speculation. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest news about Fantastic Four, and join us in counting down the days until it arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025.
