It may be a while before we get aFantastic Fourreboot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s never too early to start doing some dream casting. Who should play Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm when the characters make their inevitable return? Comic book writer Dan Slott has a suggestion for at least one of those roles in the form of K.J. Apa as our new Human Torch.
Dan Slotthas written many key books for Marvel Comics over the years, such as severalSpider-Mantitles and his work is, on the whole, heralded. He’s currently writing the publisher’sFantastic Fourongoing series and, taking to Twitter, Slott decided to suggest that the 22-year-oldRiverdalestar would be perfect for Johnny Storm. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“Throwing out this red meat and then logging off of Twitter. Riverdale’sK.J. Apawould make a great Johnny Storm.”
To go along with the post, Dan Slott also shared an image of K.J. Apa and, honestly, it’s one of those suggestions that’s extremely easy to picture from pretty much every angle. First and foremost, Apa absolutely looks the part. That’s tough to argue against. He’s also proven his ability as an actor on The CW’sRiverdale, which turned out to be something of an unexpectedly huge hit for the network. And, not for nothing, but that is a comic book series, since it’s based in theArchie Comicsuniverse, and he’s demonstrated he can carry such a thing quite well.
There’s also something about K.J. Apa that feels right from the studio perspective. He’s a star on the rise. He’s popular. There’s something about him that just makes him feel like the kind of guy that Marvel Studios might definitely have on their radar. Even if that’s the case, it could be a very long time before we ever hear any official word on the future of Johnny Storm, or the rest of his FF teammates, on the big screen.
Disneycompleted its merger with Fox earlier this year, meaning the rights to theX-MenandFantastic Fourare in the hands of Marvel Studios. However, studio head Kevin Feige has indicated that it’s going to be a while before the characters are folded in, since they already had their Phase 4 MCU plans mapped out. So it could be, at minimum, a few years.
For now, all we have to go on are rumors and fan castings such as these. The rumors, for what it’s worth, range from John Krasinski and Emily Blunt being eyed for Reed Richards and Sue Storm, respectively, in addition toAnt-Man and the Waspdirector Peyton Reed possibly being tapped to bring Marvel’s first family into the MCU. Be sure to check out the original post fromDan Slott’s Twitteraccount below.
