Elvis star Austin Butler is lobbying to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Fantastic Four, if a new report is to be believed.

Industry insider Jeff Sneider claimed that Butler's representatives were "putting him up for [the] Human Torch [role]" in the upcoming reboot during a recent episode of the Hot Mic podcast. Sneider added that Butler is one of many stars campaigning for a part in Fantastic Four, as it and Marvel Studios' in-development X-Men reboot are two of the most sought-after projects in Hollywood at the moment. "[A]ll the actors in town want to be part of those two franchises," he said. Marvel Studios is yet to publicly announce who will fill out the MCU's Fantastic Four line-up and Butler is not attached to the production at this stage.

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That said, one member of the iconic superhero team has already made their MCU debut -- sort of. The Office's John Krasinski portrayed an alternate universe version of the Fantastic Four's leader, Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Director Sam Raimi explained shortly after the film's release that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige went with Krasinski as Reed Richards as a nod to many fans having already fan-cast the actor in the role. "Kevin cast John because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be," he said. "And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, 'Let's make that dream come true.'

Will John Krasinski Play Mr. Fantastic Again?

Raimi's remarks seemingly ruled out Krasinski reprising the Reed Richards role in the Fantastic Four reboot, given he made a point of stressing Krasinski's incarnation of the character exists outside the mainstream MCU. By contrast, Krasinksi played it coy in an interview at the time, refusing to confirm or deny whether he was signed on for any other MCU projects. He added that not only was he not allowed to comment, but he couldn't because Marvel Studios keeps actors in the dark about the movies and TV shows it has planned.

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Krasinski was more forthcoming in a recent interview, however, finally confirming that he probably wouldn't appear in Fantastic Four. "There aren't any discussions at all [about me starring in Fantastic Four], the only discussion I had was actually in the second-to-last week of Jack Ryan," Krasinski said. "Kevin Feige called and said would you ever fly to L.A. and play in our sandbox for a day? I was honored to do it. I flew right from Budapest when we wrapped and went right to the Doctor Strange set. I’m a big fan of all those characters and that world, so to get to play in that sandbox for one day was a real thrill."

Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot arrives in theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.

Source: YouTube, via The Direct