You star Penn Badgley has responded to the ongoing rumors that he is being eyed for the role of Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming MCU reboot of the Fantastic Four. Appearing on the Happy, Sad Confused podcast, Badgley revealed that he could “neither confirm nor deny” the rumors.

“Well… No, I can’t reveal that. Neither confirm nor deny. No, I don’t know what to say about that.”

Pressed a little more on the issue, Badgley states that he cannot recall whether he has met Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Which is rather convenient…

“No. You know, it’s possibly that I have, but not in this context. I might have met him years ago and I wouldn’t, you know, I’m not sure.”

Rumors that Penn Badgley is being tapped for the role of Reed Richards first began in August last year, with an insider claiming that the actor has had discussions with Marvel Studios. “[Reed Richards] is going to be very traditional, is my guess,” the rumor begins. “The guys that [Marvel Studios] been talking to about it are all white guys. That guy [Penn Badgley] from the show You, who probably has the role already, frankly, he’s a white guy. They’re going with the standard… And he’s terrific, by the way, that’s a good choice. But, they’re going very classical.”
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Badgley’s is not the only name hovering around the role of Mr. Fantastic, however. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker star Adam Driver is also rumored to be a frontrunner, alongside It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton, who recently declared that it would be “super fun” to join the MCU.

RELATED: Fantastic Four BossLogic Artwork Transforms Penn Badgley Into Reed Richards

Fantastic Four Director Matt Shakman Recently Responded to Casting Rumors

Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman recently responded to casting rumors and suggestions saying, “You know, I’m still finishing up the Godzilla. We’re in post on that, and have a few more months on that. [Then] Fantastic Four is pretty much my life until Valentine’s Day of 2025. All the casting stuff you see is just rumours. We are early in our process there. We have nothing to announce right now, and certainly, when we do we’ll let you know.”

While we remain in the dark over the casting of the Fantastic Four, we do know that Marvel’s first family will be the second installment in Phase Six of the MCU, following the release of Deadpool 3. Not only that, but it has also since been revealed by Marvel boss Kevin Feige that Fantastic Four will not be an origin story. “A lot of people know this origin story,” Feige said. “A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before? We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”

But before any of that, we still have Phase 5 to enjoy. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks of the Phase and finds superhero partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, together with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, and Scott’s daughter Cassie, lost in the Quantum Realm.

Directed by Peyton Reed from a screenplay by Jeff Loveness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023.