John Malkovich has appeared in some popular action blockbusters and shared screen space with some big A-listers, but being in a Marvel movie was not on his list of priorities until now. The veteran acting heavyweight has a part in the upcoming superhero movie reboot, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Unlike those who scoff at the thought of being in a Marvel project, Malkovich's reason for not being in one earlier is not what we usually expect.
“The reason I didn’t do them had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever,” Malkovich shared in a GQ interview. “I didn’t like the deals they made, at all.”
Malkovich was aware that “these films are quite gruelling to make…. If you’re going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me. You don’t want to pay me, it’s cool, but then I don’t want to do it, because I’d rather be onstage, directing a play, or doing something else.”
How did Marvel finally convince him? Malkovich, who was Oscar-nominated for his chilling performance opposite Clint Eastwood in In the Line of Fire, drew comparisons to his experience acting in plays.
“It’s not that dissimilar to doing theater. You imagine a bunch of stuff that isn’t there and do your little play,” he said.
One of the other reasons for the actor finally deciding to do the movie is that he had previously worked with director Matt Shakman in the 2014 thriller Cut Bank.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which hits theatres on July 25, 2025, will have Malkovich joining actors Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, and others.
His other upcoming releases are Wild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Opus, co-starring Ayo Edebiri (The Bear).
