A new report has possibly revealed Ted Lasso star Sarah Niles’ role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, shedding light on one of the MCU reboot’s original supporting characters. Recent scoops detail how Niles fits into Marvel’s upcoming origin story set in a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world.
Sarah Niles rumored to be playing Future Foundation’s chief of staff in Fantastic Four
Scooper @MyTimeToShineHello shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), wherein he said Lynne Nichols is the chief of staff at the Future Foundation and appears early in The Fantastic Four: First Steps in a minor role.
Niles is best known for her work in Ted Lasso and F1: The Movie. Her character, Lynne Nichols, has not appeared in Marvel Comics and was created specifically for this reboot. While her screen time is limited, she reportedly helps the Future Foundation at the beginning of the film.
Natasha Lyonne also joins the cast as Rachel Rozman, a teacher on Yancy Street who forms a connection with Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing. Lyonne previously voiced Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis’ daughter in What If…? Season 3. Speculation linking her to Alicia Masters has been debunked.
Director Matt Shakman told Variety that multiple elements were cut from the final version. “There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor,” Shakman said. He explained the difficulty of balancing the origin story, villains, new characters, and world-building elements in a single movie.
John Malkovich, who played Red Ghost, did not make the final cut. “It was heartbreaking not to include [Malkovich]… because he’s one of my very favorite humans,” Shakman said. Malkovich appeared in the first trailer, but it’s unknown if his scenes will be released separately.
Set in a 1960s retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The movie releases on July 25, 2025.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.
