Zac Efron Is The Odds-On Favorite To Be Cast As Fantastic Four’s Human Torch

The recent Disney Investor Day brought some seismic reveals surrounding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with several more streaming exclusives being announced to further swell the Disney Plus roster. Feature-length sequels Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 were also added to the theatrical schedule and set for 2022 and 2023 respectively, but the biggest news on the movie side of things was the Fantastic Four reboot officially entering active development.

Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home‘s Jon Watts was announced to be tackling the fifth live-action stab at the iconic comic book characters, and fans have their fingers firmly crossed that this will be the one to finally do them justice. There wasn’t even a hint of when we could expect to see the finished product, but late 2023 or early 2024 seems like a safe bet now that there’s a director signed on.

There are no writers attached as of yet, but the focus has already turned to the cast. Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery is rumored to be in talks with Marvel Studios for the Human Torch, but the reports remain unverified, while there would no doubt be a massive backlash at this point if John Krasinski wasn’t recruited to play Mr. Fantastic given that he’s been the favorite among the fanbase for years.

Because people will literally gamble on anything, though, bookmaker Bovada Official has received a flurry of bets on potential Fantastic Four casting, and Montgomery’s name surprisingly isn’t among the frontrunners for Johnny Storm. Instead, Zac Efron and Hamilton‘s Anthony Ramos are the current odds-on favorites, with Krasinski and wife Emily Blunt unsurprisingly the leading candidates for Reed Richards and Sue Storm, while Pirates of the Caribbean and The Irishman‘s Stephen Graham is a surprise contender for Ben Grimm, which isn’t a bad shout at all.