The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings all the family feels, say stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby
Helmed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman, the movie reboots the Fantastic Four film series, which is based on the Marvel Comics super-team.
It comes 10 years after the last Fantastic Four film flopped at the box office and received scathing reviews.
Watch: The trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
With a starry ensemble cast, the retro-futuristic, 60s-inspired movie introduces Marvel's 'First Family' - Pascal's Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Kirby's Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/The Thing.
Drawing on their bond and superhero strengths, the foursome must take on the planet-devouring cosmic entity called Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, and his herald, Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner.
"It's about family. It's about caring for humankind. It's about protecting human innocence and knowing that you can't do it alone. We can only do it together," said Pascal, launching the film in London on Thursday.
Being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was "an actor's dream", Pascal, 50, said.
"To get to step into it for the first time in an ensemble, with a vision that is very dedicated to its origins and the characters in the stories that people originally fell in love with when they were first published in 1961, and the charm of something that has optimism and a very pure heart, is everything," he said.
Kirby, who is expecting her first child, said playing Sue Storm, who has a baby in the movie, was also a lesson in motherhood.
"She really changed my whole perspective on it, honestly," Kirby said.
"It was so inspiring and emotional for me to play this part where she could be as much part of the team, a working mother, who was able to do everything, wasn't sidelined. The baby became part of the journey. And it taught me that everything is possible as a woman."
Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach are on a global publicity tour to promote the movie and have praised the bond they formed through the film.
"What it means for me is that I have a really loving year," said Moss-Bachrach, who also stars on the hit show The Bear.
"I spend some of the year in Chicago working with people that I love so dearly, and then I come out to London and work with some other people that I love so dearly. I'm in a very fortunate position."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps begins its global cinematic rollout on Wednesday 23 July.
It opens in Irish cinemas on Thursday 24 July.
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Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Extra.ie
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Banshee did appear in 2011's 'X-Men: First Class', but was American in this one and was killed off-screen before the next movie. The character was originally supposed to be Irish in the film and would have been portrayed by Love/Hate's Robert Sheehan had he not dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Next up, is none other than Banshee's daughter, Siryn. Theresa Cassidy was created by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha in 1981 and inherited her father's mutant genes and sonic voice powers. The young mutant lost her mother to an IRA bombing in Ireland while her father was out of the country. As Banshee didn't even know of his daughter's existence, she was secretly raised by his cousin, super villain Black Tom Cassidy. When Black Tom was arrested, he could no longer take care of Theresa, so Banshee and the X-Men took her in and helped her develop her mutant powers for good. Siryn appears as a minor character in the 2003 film 'X2' and cameos in the 2006 follow-up 'X-Men: The Last Stand'. This one sounds almost too Irish. Molly Fitzgerald is a superhero from Ireland with the power of luck. She was conceived by a list of classic creators which includes Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant, and John Romita Jr in 1982. Shamrock has similar powers to the likes of Spider-Man villain 'Black Cat' or 'Domino' who appeared in 2018's 'Deadpool 2', but isn't as well-known. Molly hails from Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, and is the daughter of a member of the IRA. Named after the fabled four-leaf clover, Shamrock's powers are the result of being possessed by the souls of thousands of spirits lost in past wars. She was essentially created as a living embodiment of the phrase 'luck of the Irish'. Shamrock has not appeared in the comics for some time now and was last seen retiring and opening an Irish pub in New York City.
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Sunday World
Julia Garner reveals how shyness ‘became my secret weapon'
She found global fame with Ozark, went on to become part of the Marvel juggernaut and now stars in creepy horror Weapons, but Julia Garner tells Esther McCarthy how she got into acting in a bid to overcome timidness It's a super screen summer for Julia Garner, who is starring in two of this year's most-anticipated movies following her star-making role in Ozark. As well as her recent turn in Marvel hit The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the actress is starring in the gritty new horror, Weapons. Yet the US star has revealed her success came about because of her struggles with shyness when she was younger. In a bid to overcome it, Garner signed up for acting classes — and although she's still shy by nature, she says her new hobby quickly became her greatest passion. 'I started in this business because I was very shy,' she says. 'I am shy but with this job you have no choice — but I love my work and I love working with people and meeting new people. Julia Garner with Jason Bateman in Ozark 'I started taking acting classes to overcome my shyness. I used to do a lot of student films for Columbia Film School. The student film-maker's girlfriend was interning at a casting office and my first audition was an open casting call with thousands of people. I didn't get the job but a couple of months later she cast Martha Marcy May Marlene and that was my first movie.' That US indie proved to be a gamechanger for many emerging stars when it first screened at Sundance in 2011, as it focused on a woman (Elizabeth Olsen) dealing with the aftermath of her time in an abusive cult. It was critically acclaimed and although the then-teenager Garner's role was a supporting one, it marked an early indication of her raw talent. It was perhaps no surprise, however, that the young Garner would turn to the arts, given her family background. 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Julia with co-star Josh Brolin As her previous movies reveal, Garner has always been drawn to the dark side of human nature and starred in a number of gritty and scary movies before turning her attention to Weapons. What is the draw for her in such material? 'The thing that always interests me about horror is almost in the same way how people talk about comedy, which is the timing. That is always a challenge. Timing can make the movie and it can ruin the movie so it's important to nail it and to get every jump-scare just right. But Weapons is not really a typical horror movie. It's different. It has comedic elements and, well... you have to see it.' As is often the case with making horror movies, there was often a fun atmosphere on set as people look for some light relief between takes. In Garner's case, much of the laughs came courtesy of her co-star, Josh Brolin. 'He is such a brilliant actor and just a great guy. He's hilarious actually. 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The couple, who first met at the Sundance Film Festival, got married at New York's City Hall — just like Julia's parents did four decades earlier. While her roots are in episodic TV and indie movies, earlier this summer Garner dipped her toe into the Marvel Universe, taking on the Silver Surfer role in one of the biggest comic-book movies of them all. Shot in Pinewood Studios near London, the actress is now a leading character in one of summer's biggest hits. 'It's pretty fun. It's kind of empowering. You feel like a little kid again. But the whole experience, shooting at Pinewood, everything was just incredible.' Still, she tries to avoid getting caught up in the inevitable attention that her growing on-screen profile brings. When asked how she feels about being one of Hollywood's most in-demand young stars, she says: 'It's really hard to answer that because I don't think of myself like that. I just focus on the work. I can say that I feel very lucky to have these opportunities and to get to play complex and interesting characters. I'm just happy that people are interested in the characters too.' Weapons is now in cinemas.
The Irish Sun
04-08-2025
- The Irish Sun
I'm a single mum-of-7 to kids aged 1 to 16 – my ‘no spend' summer holiday days are made so much easier with a £5 B&M buy
Scroll down for the full list of places where kids can eat free this summer NO KIDDING I'm a single mum-of-7 to kids aged 1 to 16 – my 'no spend' summer holiday days are made so much easier with a £5 B&M buy A SINGLE mum-of-seven who is aiming to spend no money on some days during the school summer holidays, has revealed the £5 B&M buy that keeps her kids entertained for hours. Amy, who has children aged between one and 16, took to TikTok to share how she is able to keep her kids busy for a whole day without spending any money. Advertisement 2 Amy is a single mum of seven Credit: TikTok/@singlewithseven 2 Her kids love playing with water blaster backpacks from B&M Credit: TikTok/@singlewithseven The single mum revealed that her bumper brood were "fighting like mad" during the morning of her no-spend day, so she got the little ones up and out of the house by half past 8. "We went for a walk for about an hour and a half and left the teenagers in bed", she said. After returning home, the younger kids played with kinetic sand for half an hour, before the family had lunch. After lunch, Amy took her younger ones out for another walk and her daughters decided to take their B&M Water Blaster backpacks with them. Advertisement The nifty backpacks have water guns attached to them, so kids can have water fights whilst out and about. Amy said she got her kids' pink mermaid backpacks for £5 from the budget store, but online it currently looks like they are only selling Marvel water backpacks, priced at £8.99. Unfortunately, one of Amy's younger daughters was too small for the backpack, but she was happy carrying around a little spray bottle. During their walk, the kids also went to the park, and on a hunt for blackberries to pick. Advertisement They managed to find a whole bush full of ripe berries, took them home and then gave them a good wash, before making a fruit crumble. The kids were happy and entertained for the entire day, and Amy didn't have to spend a single penny. I bought two splash pads from Temu and TikTok shop for £9.99 for my kids to compare - one of them is HUGE for the price The video, posted under the username @singlewithseven, has likely left many impressed, as it has racked up over 24,000 views on the video-sharing platform. TikTok users raced to the video sharing platform, to share how impressed they were with Amy's no spend day. Advertisement One person said: "Aw I love this! "A no-spend day is so tough, you've done a great job keeping them occupied!" Full list of kids eat free offers THERE are plenty of chains to choose from offering kids eat free programmes during school holidays. Choose from any of the following... Angus Steakhouse – Kids under 8 and under eat free from the children's menu when an adult orders a meal; available daily from 12pm–5pm. – Kids under 8 and under eat free from the children's menu when an adult orders a meal; available daily from 12pm–5pm. Ask Italian - During school holidays, kids eat for £1 when an adult buys a main. You'll need to get a code for the promotion by filling in a short form on the chain's website. - During school holidays, kids eat for £1 when an adult buys a main. You'll need to get a code for the promotion by filling in a short form on the chain's website. Asda Cafés – Kids' meals for £1 all day, every day across 205 stores nationwide. There's no minimum spend needed. – Kids' meals for £1 all day, every day across 205 stores nationwide. There's no minimum spend needed. Bar + Block – Up to two children under 16 eat breakfast free with each adult buying one all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for £10.99. – Up to two children under 16 eat breakfast free with each adult buying one all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for £10.99. Beefeater – Two kids under 16 can eat free with every adult breakfast bought for £10.99. – Two kids under 16 can eat free with every adult breakfast bought for £10.99. Bellia Italia - Kids eat free every Thursday and for £1 until 6pm, from Sunday to Wednesday when an adult meal is bought. - Kids eat free every Thursday and for £1 until 6pm, from Sunday to Wednesday when an adult meal is bought. Bill's – Up to two kids eat free from Monday to Friday, when one adult orders any main dish breakfast, lunch or dinner. – Up to two kids eat free from Monday to Friday, when one adult orders any main dish breakfast, lunch or dinner. 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Farmhouse Inns – Two kids eat free with one paying adult. – Two kids eat free with one paying adult. Franco Manca - One kid 12 and under get a complimentary individual kids pizza for every full-priced adult main meal from Monday to Thursday during the holidays. - One kid 12 and under get a complimentary individual kids pizza for every full-priced adult main meal from Monday to Thursday during the holidays. Frankie & Benny's - Kids can eat for free every day when any adult meal is purchased. - Kids can eat for free every day when any adult meal is purchased. IKEA – Kids meals start at 95p for pasta and tomato sauce available daily from 11am in restaurants. – Kids meals start at 95p for pasta and tomato sauce available daily from 11am in restaurants. Las Iguanas – Kids under 12 eat free with the My Las Iguanas App during the holidays. – Kids under 12 eat free with the My Las Iguanas App during the holidays. Morrisons Cafés – One free kids' meal with any adult meal over £5. The offer is available daily. – One free kids' meal with any adult meal over £5. The offer is available daily. Pausa Cafés at Dunelm – Kids eat free with every £4 spent in the café all day, everyday. – Kids eat free with every £4 spent in the café all day, everyday. Premier Inn – Up to two kids eat free breakfast with an adult breakfast, £10.99. – Up to two kids eat free breakfast with an adult breakfast, £10.99. PIzza Express - Kids get a free meal Monday to Friday when an adult meal is purchased during school holidays. - Kids get a free meal Monday to Friday when an adult meal is purchased during school holidays. Sizzling Pubs – Kids eat for £1 with the purchase of an adult main meal, Monday to Friday between 3–7pm. – Kids eat for £1 with the purchase of an adult main meal, Monday to Friday between 3–7pm. Tesco - Kids eat free, worth £4, when you purchase anything from the menu including fruit for 65p if you're a Clubcard holder - Kids eat free, worth £4, when you purchase anything from the menu including fruit for 65p if you're a Clubcard holder TGI Fridays – Kids eat free with any adult main meal for Stripes loyalty members, available all day, every day. – Kids eat free with any adult main meal for Stripes loyalty members, available all day, every day. The Real Greek – Kids under 12 eat free with every £15 adult spend on Sundays only. – Kids under 12 eat free with every £15 adult spend on Sundays only. Yo! Sushi - Kids eat free all day with a full-paying adult during local school holidays. - Kids eat free all day with a full-paying adult during local school holidays. Whitbread Inns - Two kids under 16 eat breakfast free with every adult full breakfast, £20.99. A second person said: "What a lovely morning. "We have been collecting plums and cherries this week." Advertisement A third person said: "Wow well done you, gorgeous day. "There's me thinking one's hard!" A fourth chimed in: "They had fun, that's all that matters."
