Marvel Studios’ forthcoming film “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will no longer feature John Malkovich. Director Matt Shakman confirmed in an interview published by Variety that the Oscar-nominated actor’s scenes as Soviet scientist-turned-villain Red Ghost were removed during the final edit. Shakman said the decision stemmed from the need to streamline a narrative already juggling the team’s 1960s retro-future setting, multiple antagonists and the introduction of the core quartet’s first child. “There was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie… It was heartbreaking not to include him,” he told the magazine, adding that Malkovich “was brilliant in it, and gave it his all.” Malkovich had filmed an early sequence depicting the Fantastic Four’s initial adventures, including a battle against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. A brief shot of the performance appeared in the film’s first teaser trailer released in February, fueling months of speculation about the role. Despite the cut, the ensemble cast remains sizable, led by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will hold its world premiere in Los Angeles on July 21 and open in U.S. theaters on July 25.