Director Matt Shakman revealed that in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Galactus wasn’t made just with computers or motion-capture. Instead, Ralph Ineson, who plays the character, wears a real costume.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shakman said they didn’t just use motion-capture or CGI — they built a full costume for the character, and Ineson will be wearing it on set. The design is based on Galactus’s iconic purple-and-blue armor from the comics, and the team tested multiple versions to make sure it looked right on screen.
Shakman said, “I didn’t want to just use motion-capture for Galactus. I wanted to actually have someone there embodying the part.” Shakman added, “So we’ve built an entire costume for him, and we’ve done a lot of photography testing to figure out, How do you make sure that the scale is correct? How do you film Mount Rushmore?”
In the 2007 movie, Galactus was shown as a giant cloud — a version that fans weren’t thrilled about. This time, he’ll appear more like the massive, powerful figure from the comics. The whole approach is a tribute to the original Galactus story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which remains one of Marvel’s most iconic comic arcs.
A new trailer was screened during CinemaCon 2025, revealing more spoilers and details about the movie. Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is confirmed to be pregnant, and at the end, we also get our first look at Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal — a version of the Silver Surfer.
The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing—as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god named Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, things suddenly get very personal.
Directed by Shakman from a screenplay by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, which has undergone a rewrite by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.
The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Grant Curtis, and Nick Pepin.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will hit theaters and IMAX on July 25, 2025.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
