Michael Chiklis Congratulates ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Cast
Twenty years after playing Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing, in “Fantastic Four,” Michael Chiklis is revisiting his own “first steps” in the franchise. The acclaimed actor congratulated the cast of the franchise reboot, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” prior to the film debuting in theaters July 25.
“I want to thank everyone for all the ‘Fantastic Four’ love this last couple of months during the run up to the new ‘F4’ flick,” Chiklis wrote on X. “Speaking of which, I want to wish the cast and crew of ‘First Steps’ the best of luck and success. I admire these actors and look forward to seeing them take on these iconic roles. #F4Forever #TheThing”
Chiklis played the Thing in the 2005 20th Century Fox film “Fantastic Four” and its 2007 sequel, “The Silver Surfer.” The franchise was rebooted with 2015’s “Fantastic Four,” prior to Marvel acquiring the property in 2017. The new “Fantastic Four” movie was announced in 2020. Ebon Moss-Bachrach will now be playing Chiklis’ former role, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Joseph Quinn co-starring.
Quinn previously told Entertainment Weekly that his version of Johnny Storm, AKA The Human Torch, would differ from his predecessor Chris Evans’ portrayal.
“He’s a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he’s funny,” Quinn said of the 2025 take on the character. “Myself and [Marvel Studios boss] Kevin [Feige] were speaking about previous iterations of him and where we are culturally. He was branded as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy, but is that sexy these days? I don’t think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people’s feelings, and hopefully there’s a self-awareness about what’s driving that attention-seeking behavior.”
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is set in 1960s Manhattan during the time when the first comic book of the characters was released. The feature will serve as the origin story for Pascal’s Reed Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic, Kirby’s Sue Storm, AKA the Invisible Woman, Quinn’s Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, and Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing. Ralph Ineson also plays villain Galactus, with Paul Walter Hauser, and Natasha Lyonne co-stars. Julia Garner is the Silver Surfer, AKA Shalla-Bal. Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) directs “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” from a script by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer.
