Ralph Ineson Set To Play 'World Devouring Cosmic Villain' In The Fantastic Four

British actor Ralph Inesonis has become the latest entry into the upcoming MCU film, The Fantastic Four. The 54-year-old actor will be playing the villain Galactus. On Thursday night, Ineson took to social media to confirm his role as he reposted a news article about the casting and wrote, “World devouring cosmic villain is it? I’ll see what I can do.” In the Marvel Universe, Galactus is a “cosmic entity” who sustains himself by consuming all forms of life on different planets. He was first created by comic artists Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in a Fantastic Four comic, published in March 1966.

Other than Inesonis, the lead role in The Fantastic Four will be played by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). Emmy Award winner Julia Garner will play Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer. They will be joined by Oscar nominated star John Malkovich and Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser. As of now, their roles are undisclosed.

The Fantastic Four will be directed by Matt Shakman, who has worked on projects like Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo and Game of Thrones. Matt Shakman is not new to the MCU as he was a consultant on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and executive producer of WandaVision.

The film’s script was written and edited by Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer and Peter Cameron. The principal photography will begin in August 2024 in London. THe Fantastic Four is scheduled for theatrical release on July 25, 2025.

Despite the high-profile casting and involvement of industry veterans, very little is known about the film’s plot. Last year, in an interview with Collider, Matt Shakman stayed tight-lipped about The Fantastic Four’s storyline and said, “I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can’t. But I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you’ve seen before.”

Talking about the film’s pre-production work during the SAG-AFTRA strikes, he said, “We have been nonstop. Despite the strikes, yes, we’ve been working with the effects and with production design and building our world, and that’s been incredibly exciting.”

Initially, Jon Watts, best known for directing three Spiderman films for MCU, was expected to direct Fantastic Four. However, in April 2022, he stepped away from the film, reportedly to take a break from superhero movies.