Ioan Gruffudd, who notably portrayed Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four duology, reflected on the scrapped plans for a proposed third film that never came to be.
In a Q&A with Vulture tied to the release of Marvel’s new take on the storied comic book family, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Welsh actor talked about feeling “incredibly proud to be part of such a beautiful franchise,” which comprised 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
“The mindset was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans,” said Gruffudd, who attended the world premiere of the MCU entry, which features Pedro Pascal in the main role. “I particularly loved working with Doug Jones [as the Silver Surfer] on that movie, who’s just a terrific artist and an expert in the field of movement. If you want to witness somebody bringing a character to life physically, he’s just untouchable. So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control.”
Though both aughts superhero films had a box office upward of $300 million and similar mixed/positive reviews, Fox scrapped a potential threequel and, by 2009, announced plans to reboot the franchise, per previous reporting. That movie, released in 2015, featured Miles Teller as Reed Richards and was a critical and box office flop.
Speaking to his previous comments about having lost confidence and seeking therapy after the pace of his projects slowed down post-franchise, Gruffudd told the outlet: “As an actor, you almost grieve every part that you’ve played, and this was no different. This was a massive stepping stone in my career, and because this was two movies over several years, the character becomes part of you. So I think the grieving process is that you’ve enjoyed the character so much and you’re not getting to play them again.”
The Black Hawk Down actor also said he is “excited that the comic and franchise lives on” with Marvel’s 1960s-set reimagining, though regarding any future reprisals he noted: “I’m not in the new movie. Fans are convinced that I’m going to be in a particular aspect of this universe that hasn’t been written or filmed yet. But this idea of people showing up has been introduced, like Chris [Evans’ Johnny Storm] in Deadpool [& Wolverine], or I think Mister Fantastic appeared in the guise of John Krasinski at one point. So, no, I haven’t been approached to reprise Mister Fantastic. But you never know.”
Since its July 25 release, First Steps accumulated just short of $200 million at the box office, facing a 66% decline in the vicinity of Captain America: Brave New World in its second weekend in theaters.
