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From USA Today, the photos of the cast of the Fantastic Four have been revealed: Jessica Alba as Sue Storm a.k.a. Invisible Girl, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch, Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing.

'Fantastic Four' Refers To Actors, Too
By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

The Fantastic Four comes forth.



Jessica Alba is a housewife-turned-superhero in Fantastic Four. She'll team up with The Shield's Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd and newcomer Chris Evans.
20th Century Fox

After several false starts, the movie version of the dysfunctional family of comic-book superheroes known as the Fantastic Four has commenced filming in Vancouver, B.C., and will arrive in theaters July 1st.

For those who can't wait to see who is in the signature skin-tight blue uniforms, here is an exclusive peek at the contentious clan that has been one of the most popular titles in the Marvel universe.

Three of the "imaginauts" who gain special powers after being caught in a cosmic storm in outer space are rising stars:

• Jessica Alba, 23, star of TV's Dark Angel, is Sue Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman, who has a romance with Reed.

• Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, 30, goes from Lancelot in King Arthur to scientist Reed Richards, whose Mr. Fantastic has the ability to stretch.

• Chris Evans, 23, currently seen in Cellular, is Sue's bro Johnny, a cocky pilot who turns up the heat as the Human Torch.

• The most recognizable face is also the most covered. Veteran actor Michael Chiklis, 41, of TV's The Shield, will grumble his way through the role of Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, a boulder-bodied mound of power whose battle cry is "It's clobberin' time!"

Don't expect a computerized brute as in The Hulk. That's Chiklis inside the craggy foam-rubber suit that, with shoes, weighs about 70 pounds. "That is the whole center of Ben's problem — he's trapped," says Chiklis. "He's a tragic hero. It's a delicate balance between formidable and ferocious and warm and fuzzy."

Chiklis, who has embodied such icons as John Belushi in 1989's Wired and Curly in The Three Stooges TV movie, understands why he got the part. "It's typecasting," says the actor, who built up his rock-man endurance by running 10Ks five days a week for the past three months. "A guy with a hard exterior who's got a beautiful heart."

Alas, the Thing's trademark stogie might be stubbed out, thanks to PC concerns.

Director Tim Story (Barbershop) takes a leap into the big leagues with his first summer blockbuster.

"Part of the appeal of the Fantastic Four is they don't use secret identities or wear masks," he explains. "They walk amongst New Yorkers who accept them and go to the grocery store to buy milk, just regular people dealing with life who happen to have extraordinary abilities. They don't always like each other, but they do love each other."

Studio 20th Century Fox is counting on audiences to share that love. The cast is signed for two sequels but for Story, it's wait and see.

Julian McMahon of TV's Nip/Tuck takes on villain Dr. Doom, but the Four have formidable movie competition, as well. The Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise remake of the alien-attack thriller War of the Worlds will invade theaters June 29th, two days before Fantastic Four.

Then there is The Incredibles, a computer-animated spoof on a superhero family coming Nov. 5th from Pixar and Disney, that could upstage Fantastic Four.

"I'm the biggest Pixar nut in the world, and I can't freaking wait to see it," Story says. "But some of the powers are very similar, and I don't want the public to think we took elements of The Incredibles when it's the other way around."