It appears that Matt Smith, Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star, nearly stretched his acting range out by joining the comic book movie genre. He was reportedly offered a major role in the MCU's forthcoming Fantastic Four film.

According to entertainment scooper Daniel Richtman (a subscription to his Patreon is required), Smith was offered the role of Reed Richards in the MCU's Fantastic Four film prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. However, Streamr Entertainment independently confirmed via Smith's reps that as of June 28, 2023, he was not cast in the film.

It may be for the best that Smith isn't cast. Film critic and reporter Jeff Sneider weighed in on the rumor, saying, “If this is in fact true, it's possibly the worst superhero casting attempt I've ever seen.”

The MCU's Fantastic Four film has yet to be cast. There were rumors of Adam Driver also being up for the same role as Smith, however, it recently came to light that he passed due to an inability to connect with the character.

Matt Smith is most known for being the eleventh incarnation of Doctor Who for the BBC in seasons 5-7. He then played Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh in the first two seasons of The Crown. His latest television role comes as Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spin-off film, House of the Dragon.

On the film side, Smith had a leading role in Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho. He also starred in the disastrous Marvel (non-MCU) film Morbius.