John Malkovich’s Red Ghost Cut from THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

According to screenwriter Zack Stentz, actor John Malkovich was set to play the villain Red Ghost in a canceled Fantastic Four movie that was in development before the 2015 reboot. Stentz revealed the details on Kevin Smith's FATMAN BEYOND podcast.

The unmade film was to be directed by Peyton Reed (who went on to direct Ant-Man) and was conceived as a 1960s period piece set during the Space Race. The tone was described as a fun, pop-art adventure akin to A Hard Day's Night, serving as a love letter to the original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics.

Key details of the canceled film include:

• Main Villain: The Soviet scientist Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, who would have been a direct rival to the American Fantastic Four in the Cold War-era conflict.
• Other Villains: The Mole Man and his Moloids were also slated to appear.
• Plot: The Fantastic Four would have gained their powers and become major celebrities, contrasting with the more sinister threat from the Soviet Union.
• Cancellation: 20th Century Fox ultimately scrapped this version in favor of developing Josh Trank's much darker and more grounded 2015 film, Fant4stic.

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