Fantastic Four Casting Jennifer Lawrence Rumor Reportedly Debunked

The Internet erupted over a Marvel Studios rumor this morning when a tabloid reported that Jennifer Lawrence had joined the cast of Fantastic Four with production set to begin later this year. While there are many red flags surrounding this rumor, the biggest is that filming on Spider-Man 3 is still underway with director Jon Watts, who is set to handle the debut of the First Family in the Marvel Cinematic Universe once he wraps up the third film in Tom Holland’s solo trilogy. Now it looks like those rumors are false according to a reporter from the Hollywood trade Deadline.

Reporter Justin Kroll is accurate and reliable for his scoops. So his tweet about Marvel Studios only starting to begin work on the Fantastic Four reboot might have more weight than previous reports.

It’s highly unlikely that Watts would film Spider-Man 3 and Fantastic Four back-to-back without a break, and that he’d transition into another intensive Marvel Cinematic Universe project while still dealing with post-production on a film supposed to premiere in theaters later this year. Fantastic Four does not yet have a release date, and was one of those “and coming soon” announcements along the lines of the reveal of Blade — which also does not have a release date as of now.

Casting before a script or even a screenwriter, especially for a project of this magnitude, is unlikely. So while Jennifer Lawrence might have some contact with Marvel Studios over a future role, don’t expect her to report to Australia next month to begin filming for the Fantastic Four reboot.

Rumors about the Fantastic Four reboot have been swirling around ever since Marvel Studios assumed control of the Fox properties, and one of the most popular fan-casts has surrounded John Krasinski playing Reed Richards AKA Mr. Fantastic. Even Krasinski himself addressed those rumors with excitement, stating that he’d love to join the MCU.

“You’re like, ‘Do you have any interest in not shattering people’s dreams?’” Krasinski said with a laugh in Total Film Magazine. “I would love to be in the Marvel universe. I love those movies because they’re fun, but I also think they’re really well done. And certainly a lot of my friends are in those movies. I have no idea what [Marvel] are thinking. But if they are considering me for Mr. Fantastic, continue to considered me because I would love it.”

Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot does not yet have a release date, nor is a production start date confirmed.