Original ‘Fantastic Four’ Star Ioan Gruffudd Says the ‘Plan Was to Do Three Movies’ but Studio Cut Franchise Short: ‘Decisions Beyond My Control’

Long before Pedro Pascal stretched his limbs as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in “Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” it was Ioan Gruffudd who led Marvel’s first family in 2005’s “Fantastic Four” and 2007’s “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” The films were critical duds and only mild box office hits (each grossed more than $300 million worldwide). In a new interview with Vulture, Gruffudd looked back at his original “Fantastic Four” franchise being cut short.

“The mindset was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans,” Gruffudd said. “I particularly loved working with Doug Jones [as the Silver Surfer] on that movie, who’s just a terrific artist and an expert in the field of movement. If you want to witness somebody bringing a character to life physically, he’s just untouchable. So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control.”

Gruffudd opened up to The Guardian in 2020 about seeking therapy after the “Fantastic Four” franchise ended, as he “assumed that would be a calling card” for him in Hollywood. But his career did not take off as he thought it would despite playing a superhero as the genre was gaining steam with the “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” movies. One year after “Silver Surfer” opened in theaters, “Iron Man” and “The Dark. Knight” arrived and the genre exploded.

“As an actor, you almost grieve every part that you’ve played, and this was no different,” Gruffudd told Vulture about being forced to say goodbye to Reed Richards earlier than expected. “This was a massive stepping stone in my career, and because this was two movies over several years, the character becomes part of you. So I think the grieving process is that you’ve enjoyed the character so much and you’re not getting to play them again.”

Gruffudd remains proud of his two “Fantastic Four” movies and even showed up at the premiere of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot last month. Gruffudd’s co-stars included Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm. Right before the new “Fantastic Four” opened in theaters, Chiklis posted on X his regards to the new cast.

“I want to thank everyone for all the ‘Fantastic Four’ love this last couple of months during the run up to the new ‘F4’ flick,” Chiklis wrote. “Speaking of which, I want to wish the cast and crew of ‘First Steps’ the best of luck and success. I admire these actors and look forward to seeing them take on these iconic roles. #F4Forever #TheThing.”

“Fantastic Four: First Steps” is playing nationwide.