Bryce Dallas Howard Shuts Down Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' Casting Rumors

Actress and Director Bryce Dallas Howard just laid rumors surrounding her casting as Sue Storm to rest. The actress is known for her role in the "Jurassic World" franchise and for directing films like "Flight of the Navigator" and several episodes of "The Mandalorian."

After Disney acquired Fox Studios, a solo film for "Fantastic Four" was announced with no set release date. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" revealed John Krasinski as the new Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, but there was no other mention of the rest of the cast.

Several names have come up for the actress to take up the role of Sue, including Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt, Jennifer Lawerence, and recently Howard. However, the "Jurassic World" actress revealed that she didn't have any involvement with the film at a press event in Mexico after being offered a Funko Pop! of Sue to sign.

Fox Studios was purchased by Disney a few years ago, and not long after, a "Fantastic Four" film was announced. While the date wasn't released, the director of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Jon Watts, was revealed to be the director. However, he dropped out of the project early this year.

Fans are understandably curious about the actors to play the main characters; Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing.

While "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" revealed Krasinski as Reed, little is known about the other characters. The director's real-life wife, Blunt, was first suspected to be cast as Sue; however, rumors from 4chan indicated a different person for the role.

Since "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" revealed Krasinski as the new Reed Richards and fans of "Fantastic Four" have been trying to piece together the rest of the cast. One name that came up was Howard for the role of Sue. Rumors of the 41-year-old being cast as the Invisible Woman started swirling from 4chan.

https://www.tiktok.com/@andresnavytiktok/video/7101423258154601734

However, the "Jurassic World" actress just put the rumors to bed. A recent video clip on TikTok (Via Screen Rant) showed Howard at a Jurassic World Dominion press event in Mexico. In the video, social media influencer Andrés Navy was shown giving the director a "Fantastic Four" Funko Pop! of Invisible Woman to sign.

Howard laughed and revealed that rumors concerning her being cast as the superhero were untrue. She said, "Oh my God! [laughs] I don't think it's happening—I mean, I know [this doesn't] involve me or anything. I swear to God, I swear to God. Yeah, yeah, for real. Total rumors, but you know, yeah… Thank you, but I'll sign the [Funko] just for fun."

While Howard hasn't taken up any superhero roles in her previous films, the actress has been in a superhero film. She previously played Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3." The actress didn't have a significant role in the movie and only served as a means for Peter Parker to make his love interest Mary Jane jealous.

The film director hasn't appeared in any other comic book features since then. Howard has, however, been in several major franchises like "Twilight," "Terminator," "Jurassic World" and others. In all, the actress hasn't had any brush with superhero-related studios like Marvel or DC since her role 15 years ago.

Besides acting, Howard could snag the position of director of the superhero film. With Watt out of the picture and the seat noticeably empty, the actress could certainly emerge as a contender. Her previous directorial projects include "The Book of Boba Fett," "The Mandalorian," "Flight of the Navigator," and others.

Despite the actress vehemently denying any involvement with the project, fans are still skeptical. This could be traced back to Andrew Garfield and how the actor maintained that he wouldn't be in the anticipated "Spider-Man: No Way Home" film last year.

Garfield said that he wasn't a part of the film despite leaked set photos showing the actor on set. So fans are now very skeptical, considering how that turned out. The "Tick Tick Boom" actor and Tobey Maguire both appeared in the film, along with Tom Holland.

While nothing is certain and most facts about the upcoming "Fantastic Four" movie are purely speculation, only time will tell. The film hasn't been given a release window; however, fans expect the superhero movie to be in cinemas sometime in 2024.