‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Director Confirms Big Star Is Completely Removed From The Film: “It Was Heartbreaking”

John Malkovich was supposed to be part of the new Marvel movie, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but now he won’t appear at all. The film’s director, Matt Shakman, confirmed this news just a few days before the movie’s release on July 25.

Fans had been guessing about Malkovich’s role for months, but in the end, his part was completely cut from the film.

Last year, when Marvel announced Malkovich was joining the cast, many people were curious about which character he would play. Known for his roles in movies like “Being John Malkovich” and “Burn After Reading,” he was expected to bring something special to the film. However, Marvel never revealed his character’s name at the time.

Now it turns out that Malkovich was going to play a villain called Red Ghost. This character isn’t very well known compared to other Fantastic Four villains. But his role has been taken out of the final cut of the movie.

Director Matt Shakman spoke about this decision and said it wasn’t easy. “There was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie, and some things had to go… It was heartbreaking not to include him,” Shakman told the media.

It’s unclear how much of Malkovich’s scenes were filmed or how much Red Ghost appeared in early versions of the movie. Fans did spot the character in an early trailer, but unfortunately, he won’t be seen when the movie comes out.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” tells the story of the superhero team dealing with big changes in their lives. Sue Storm, played by Vanessa Kirby, and Reed Richards, played by Pedro Pascal, are expecting their first child, Franklin.

Meanwhile, danger comes from space. The Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner, arrives to warn them about Galactus, a giant being who eats planets. Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, threatens Earth. Along with Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), the team must fight to protect their world and their new baby.

The Red Ghost character first appeared in a 1963 comic book called “Fantastic Four #13.” He is Ivan Kragoff, a Soviet scientist who wanted to win the space race against Reed Richards. Kragoff took three trained monkeys into space with him, hoping to become a hero for the Soviet Union.

Like the Fantastic Four, he and the monkeys were exposed to cosmic rays, which gave them special powers. Red Ghost gained the power to become invisible and intangible, and his monkeys, called the “Super-Apes,” each got their own unique abilities. In the comics, Red Ghost and his apes were like dark versions of the Fantastic Four.

Besides Malkovich, other actors in the movie also have secret roles. Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles joined the cast but their characters haven’t been officially revealed. A recent comic called “The Fantastic Four: First Steps #1” hinted that Hauser might be playing Mole Man, another classic villain from the comics.

Red Ghost isn’t as famous as some other villains like Mole Man or Annihilus. Many fans had guessed that Malkovich would play Puppet Master, a character connected to Ben Grimm’s girlfriend, Alicia Masters. The choice of Red Ghost surprised many people. Now, fans won’t get to see Malkovich or Red Ghost in this movie after all.

The news about Malkovich’s role being cut was first reported by Variety.

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