‘Fantastic Four’ Fires Up Michael B. Jordan as Human Torch, Might Gender-Bend Dr. Doom?!

As actors have already begun testing for roles in Josh Trank's upcoming 'Fantastic Four' reboot, fundamentalist fans have become uneasy over some drastic changes to the characters' mythos. For one, Michael B. Jordan, who's been rumored for the role of the traditionally caucasian Johnny Storm/Human Torch, is reportedly already attached to the character, but even more unexpected is word that 20th Century Fox could bring the classic Dr. Doom villain to life as a woman.

According to THR, which reports that Jordan is currently the only actor attached to 'Fantastic Four,' the studio is looking to bring back Dr. Doom as the reboot's primary villain. While 'Nip/Tuck' star Julian McMahon portrayed the character in the original films, Fox "is likely to go for a big name and isn’t ruling out switching genders for the role."

UPDATE: Director Josh Trank addressed the rumors of a female Dr. Doom on Twitter posting:

So far, some additional actors who've read for roles are Emmy Rossum ('Shameless') and Kate Mara ('House of Cards') for Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Miles Teller ('The Spectacular Now') for Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, and Christian Cook ('Romeo and Juliet') for Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Kit Harington ('Game of Thrones') is said to be testing next. A rumor went around recently naming Josh Gad for the top pick to play Ben Grimm, though Trank himself debunked that bit.

While not much is currently known about the reboot, the plot was rumored to reimagine the origin of the Fantastic Four as finding themselves being used by the government as human weapons. Trank publicly denied that report, as well, though it still was enough to give fans of the franchise even more pause.

'Fantastic Four' will hit theaters March 6, 2015, and more actors are expected to audition for roles in the days to come.