Jamie Bell Excited for Fantastic Four Reboot, Addresses if He Would Return as Thing

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Between WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home, last year saw various figures from previously established versions of Marvel characters make their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leaving fans to wonder if the most recent cinematic versions of the Fantastic Four could be next on the docket, with Jamie Bell shooting down the likelihood of reprising his Ben Grimm. While the actor himself didn't say he was uninterested, he thinks the disappointing reception to the 2015 Fantastic Four is what is preventing the opportunity from presenting itself. Bell can next be seen in Apple TV+'s Shining Girls, which premieres on April 29th.

"I don't think anyone wants to see that, to be honest," Bell shared with ComicBook.com when asked about making a proper MCU debut. "I'm excited for it. I can't wait to see that, for that to come to life. I can't wait to see that movie done, fully realized in that Kevin Feige way, it's going to be fantastic."

The 2015 reboot surely had the odds stacked against it, as it was developed at a time when the MCU was only growing in popularity, yet the mere existence of a Fantastic Four film delayed the characters' potential integration into that franchise. In addition to audiences already being against the project, the film notably suffered from a number of behind-the-scenes struggles, with director Josh Trank having often claimed he want to go into a more sci-fi direction with the material, while writer Jeremy Slater hoped to more closely mirror the spirit of the MCU. Add to that the reported intervention from the studio to ensure specific on-screen encounters unfolded to their liking, and Trank would express his disappointment with the finished project before it even landed in theaters.

In the new Apple TV+ series, fans will see Bell playing a much more villainous character than the heroic Thing.

Shining Girls follows Kirby Mazrachi (Elisabeth Moss) as a Chicago newspaper archivist in the early 1990s whose journalistic ambitions were put on hold after enduring a traumatic assault. When Kirby learns that a recent murder mirrors her own case, she partners with seasoned, yet troubled reporter Dan Velazquez (Wagner Moura), to uncover her attacker's identity. As they realize these cold cases are inextricably linked, their own personal traumas and Kirby's blurred reality allow her assailant to remain one step ahead. In addition to Moss and Moura, the gripping drama stars Phillipa Soo as Jin-Sook, Amy Brenneman as Rachel, and Bell as Harper Curtis.

Stay tuned for details on the Fantastic Four in the MCU. Check out Shining Girls when it premieres on Apple TV+ on April 29th.

Would you like to see Bell reprise the role? Let us know in the comments below!

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