Some exciting casting news has finally surfaced for Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated, upcoming reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Pedro Pascal might finally make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as none other than Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic of the iconic superhero team, the Fantastic Four.
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Daniel Richtman first reported the rumor of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star’s potential casting on his Patreon page. While the casting news is not yet official, Pascal is said to be in talks, and Marvel Studios is honing in on the actor to play one of the smartest heroes of the Marvel Universe.
PEDRO PASCAL COULD LEAD IN MCU’S FANTASTIC FOUR REBOOT
THR notes that scheduling plays a factor in Pascal’s casting deal will pan out. Additionally, the current status of his talks for the role is said to be “unclear.” Marvel Studios opted not to comment on the story. If Pascal joins the cast of Fantastic Four, it would be his first time portraying a Marvel character in the MCU.
Undoubtedly, Pascal is one of the busiest and most in-demand acting talents on the planet between his starring roles in the hit Disney+ live-action Star War series, The Mandalorian, and this year’s breakout hit series, The Last of Us, based on the iconic video game franchise. Additionally, he is working on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel opposite Paul Mescal.
THR reports that the actor is due to report back to the set of the production soon. The sequel was previously forced to halt filming due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but with the strikes now resolved, productions are now getting back on track. Pascal is also due to work on Season 2 of The Last of Us for HBO and Season 4 of The Mandalorian. However, Pedro Pascal has since taken to primarily doing voice-over work for his role of Din Djarin/Mando in later seasons.
Deadline is also reporting that Marvel making a deal with Pascal for the role “is far from done,” noting that Pedro Pascal’s scheduling issues are still being worked out. However, multiple sources reportedly informed the outlet that negotiations are moving “in the right direction” for Pascal to fit the MCU reboot into his already busy schedule, which includes Season 2 of The Last of Us shooting later this year.
Another potential scheduling obstacle is that HBO is in “first position” for the actor’s schedule Deadline reported in February 2021 that the show has “first position” in his schedule, and that the show would take priority in the event of a scheduling conflict. This is likely at least one reason why his tight schedule needs to be worked out before his casting can be confirmed.
Pedro Pascal has had acting forays into the comic book world before. He played the villainous Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984 for DC and Warner Bros., and he also starred in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Another show he worked on was the Wonder Woman TV pilot from David E. Kelley that wasn’t picked up to series, where he played a detective. Lastly, he played a Pinkerton agent named Ortega in another TV pilot, The Sixth Gun, based on the comic of the same name, which also didn’t get picked up for a series order.
Interestingly enough, Pascal’s partner in The Sixth Gun TV pilot was Special Agent Mercer, portrayed by Black Adam star Aldis Hodge, who portrayed Hawkman in the comic book movie. W. Earl Brown was also in the pilot, and he plays Taanti opposite Pascal in The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian.
WHO WILL ROUND OUT THE TEAM OPPOSITE PASCAL?
If Pedro Pascal lands the role of Richards, it leaves out several other major roles to cast. There’s The Invisible Woman, aka Sue Storm/Richards, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Benjamin Grimm/The Thing. Also, there would be the highly coveted role of Dr. Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, who could potentially become a major franchise villain across the MCU. THR says the remaining Fantastic Four teammates are still yet to be cast.
The upcoming MCU reboot of the franchise will be directed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman. It’s currently slated for a May 2025 release. However, that release date might change at some point. THR notes that the latest draft of the script was written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, and Josh Friedman is currently writing the latest draft. Deadline also noted in today’s report that the film is in pre-production now at England’s Pinewood Studios, with filming expected to begin next year.
The Fantastic Four were created by the legendary writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in Fantastic Four Issue #1 released in November 1961. The superhero family became one of the most famous and influential superhero teams in comic book history, remaining a mainstay of the Marvel Universe to this day, and they are dubbed The First Family of Marvel Comics.
Multiple actors have previously portrayed Mister Fantastic. Ioan Gruffudd portrayed the character in 20th Century Fox’s two live-action film adaptations released in 2005 and 2007. Miles Teller portrayed the character in the greatly maligned 2015 reboot. Also, John Krasinski put in a cameo as a Multiverse variant of the character in last year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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What do you think of the news? Are you excited that it appears Pedro Pascal will bring new life to Mister Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, in Fantastic Four? Are you happy that the MCU reboot is finally picking up some steam? Let us know your thoughts about the news on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: Daniel Richtman, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
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