Mission Impossible 7 star Vanessa Kirby says it "would be an honor" to land the role of Sue Storm in Marvel's Fantastic Four movie.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Kirby suggested she'd be open to playing Storm, aka The Invisible Woman, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Kirby's comments come as rumors swirl that she's been approached by Marvel to play the iconic superhero in the forthcoming Marvel Phase 6 film.
At the UK junket for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One, I asked Kirby if she believed her work in other leading franchises would help her acclimatize to potentially joining the MCU.
Kirby, who has starred in long-running shows and movies including Netflix's The Crown, Universal's Fast & Furious film series, and Mission Impossible, replied: "Yeah, for sure. I love returning characters so much. I enjoy falling in love with a character and getting to come back [to play them], whether it's Prince Margaret [who Kirkby played in The Crown seasons 1 and 2] or someone else. Portraying her in the '50s when she's this young girl, and then the '60s where she's grown into a woman, it was so much fun to play her, especially later on.
"It's the same for Alanna Mitsopolis in the Mission Impossible movies and thinking how the last few years between films have affected her. I only have to look at [Mission Impossible co-star] Pom [Klementieff] and her amazing MCU experience, so it would be an honor to follow in her footsteps."
Whipping up a (Sue) Storm in the casting rumor mill
Kirby is the latest A-list actor to be linked with the role of The Invisible Woman in Marvel's Fantastic Four film.
Ever since Marvel announced it was developing an MCU flick centered on its iconic quartet in December 2020, the rumor mill hasn't stopped linking big-name stars to each of the group's superheroes.
In January 2022, numerous outlets claimed Marvel was ready to cast those who would go on to play Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm. Clearly, that announcement didn't materialize, and we're all still waiting on the Disney subsidiary to officially reveal the film's main cast.
Four months later, Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard played down suggestions that she'd was being eyed by Marvel to play Sue Storm. That October, reports surfaced that Adam Driver (Star Wars, 65) was being considered to play Doctor Doom, aka the Fantastic Four's arch nemesis.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Other actors, including You's Penn Badgley, Family Guy's Mila Kunis, Lucifer's Tom Ellis, Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, and A Quiet Place's Emily Blunt are just five of the names linked with roles in the film. Most recently, Marvel fans were left in a tailspin with speculation tying Driver, Margot Robbie, Daveed Diggs, and Paul Mescal to the main roles in the Fantastic Four flick. For his part, the movie's director Matt Shakman says fans should ignore any casting reports until Marvel makes an official announcement.
With fans becoming frustrated over the wait for a full casting reveal, and actors linked to each role growing tired of answering questions about their involvement, it would be in Marvel's best interests to finalize the movie's cast soon. Unfortunately, an announcement won't come at San Diego Comic-Con as Marvel has confirmed it won't be conducting its annual Hall H presentation amid the ongoing writers' strike.
Still, I'm hopeful that Marvel will officially reveal the movie's cast sooner rather than later. And, given the lack of denial in Kirby's answer to my question, I believe that she'll be announced as the MCU's Sue Storm when that reveal comes. We'll find out if there's any truth to the speculation in the (hopefully) coming months.
For more Marvel coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order and read our guide to every Marvel Phase 5 film and TV show. As for Mission Impossible, read our Mission Impossible movies ranked article to see which film we think is the best entry in the series.
