John Malkovich is no longer in the Fantastic Four: First Steps film reveals director Matt Shakman

The forthcoming Marvel superhero movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled for release on July 25, 2025, and with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn in the forefront, it presents the Fantastic Four to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Matt Shakman directed the movie. This mainly takes place on Earth-828 in a retro-futuristic setting reminiscent of the 1960s, and the unique narrative tracks the crew. This is mainly as they confront the cosmic adversary, Galactus, and his herald, the Silver Surfer, their greatest peril to date.

Director Matt Shakman said that John Malkovich's part in The Fantastic Four: First Steps was removed from the finished product. Malkovich was supposed to play a stereotypical villain, but the parts were cut to make the plot flow more smoothly. Shakman praised Malkovich's skill and previous cooperation, calling the choice "heartbreaking."

More about John Malkovich and Fantastic Four: First Steps

As per reports, John Malkovich will no longer star in Marvel Studios' forthcoming picture, The Fantastic Four: First Steps which is set to debut on July 25, 2025 and director Matt Shakman acknowledged that Malkovich's sequences were cut during post-production.

This has particularly been done to improve the film's focus on the major characters and narrative. Early on in Fantastic Four: First Steps, Malkovich was supposed to have a supporting part. It was most likely one of the original comic-book villains of the Fantastic Four and according to reports, his sequences were used in a segment that examined the team's early explorations.

However, Malkovich is no longer in the final edit and this is despite fans catching a glimpse of him in the teaser, and Shakman said the choice was difficult but essential to maintaining the story's focus and coherence. Shakman explained in an interview:

“There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor. “When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version.”

Shakman called the loss of Malkovich's character "heartbreaking.” This was especially given his love and adoration for the actor. John Malkovich is regarded as one of the most influential characters in film and theater.

His career spans four decades. Through this, he has acted in a number of critically acclaimed films. This mainly includes Being John Malkovich, Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice and Men, and In the Line of Fire.

He got two Academy Award nominations and a Primetime Emmy for his role in Death of a Salesman. The famous actor also has experience in television, theater directing, and film production.

Malkovich and Shakman have previously collaborated on Shakman's first feature film as director. This was Cut Bank (2014) and the filmmaker referred to Malkovich as one of his most cherished partners.

Shakman stated that Malkovich was an outstanding actor. He further added that he was also an inspiration in his approach to both theater and cinema. Even though Malkovich's sequences won't be shown in theaters in Fantastic Four: First Steps, some fans are holding out hope that his video may be used in the next expanded versions or additional content.

With a new cast and plot set in a retro-inspired environment, Marvel is now advancing a new version of the Fantastic Four.

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