Following its plans to launch another Fantastic Four reboot in 2025, Marvel Studios has begun working to find the right cast for the film. In its search, the studio has earmarked a few actors for the role of the superhero team's intellectual leader, Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic. One of these actors is Dev Patel, who is supposedly the top contender.

The Cosmic Circus editor-in-chief Lizzie Hill made this revelation via a post on her Twitter page. In her tweet, she attributed the report to an unnamed source. Interestingly, this report corroborates an update by Reddit leaker MSSmod that stated Marvel’s interest in Patel.

Here's hoping that Dev Patel will be Reed. (Tho I don't know for sure) @AlexFromCC and I heard he was a top contender from a friend a few weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/58UEQSa7kg

— Lizzie Hill - EiC The Cosmic Circus (@MsLizzieHill) February 3, 2023

Marvel studio has also reportedly considered other top stars like You’s Penn Badgley, the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s Adam Driver, Lucifer’s Tom Ellis, and The Gray Man’s Ryan Gosling for the role. However, unlike other choices who were chosen for their reputations, Patel was more a fan choice as he was inspired by a fan art by @Clements.Ink, an Instagram artist, where he was styled as Richard.

If Marvel casts Patel in the role, he will be one in a long list of actors to have played the character including Ioan Gruffurd, Miles Teller, and John Krasinski. However, he will only be the second to star as the character in the MCU following Krasinski, whose depiction of the character was cameo-like in the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While many fans have clamored for Krasinski to return, the A Quiet Place actor has shut the door on the possibility, saying that his deal with Marvel involved playing it only once.

According to him, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige had invited him to "play in [Marvel's] sandbox for a day."

Last July, at the San Diego Comic-Con panel, Feige stated that the film is a part of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 6, alongside Deadpool 3, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Avengers: Secret Wars, and three unannounced films. The Marvel boss also confirmed Matt Shakman as the director with Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer attached to write the screenplay.

Apart from Patel, there have been several reports about other actors who could potentially play the other members of the Fantastic Four. The studio reportedly has its eye on Jodie Comer, Phillipa Soo, Vanessa Kirby, Rachel Brosnahan, Saoirse Ronan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lily James for the role of Sue Storm. Austin Butler is reported to have lobbied to play Johnny Storm.

It is worth mentioning that neither Marvel nor Disney has provided any information on the film’s cast members. As a result, fans should take every report on the topic with a grain of salt, even if they are from reliable sources.

If all goes to plan, the planned Fantastic Four reboot will arrive in theaters on February 14, 2025.