We're still waiting on an official casting announcement for Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot, but at least one actor has now been confirmed to have joined the production.
Following initial rumors and trade reports, Pedro Pascal's official SAG-AFTRA profile notes that The Last of Us star "will soon begin production" on Fantastic Four. Pascal's character is not mentioned, but previous reports have claimed that he will be playing Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic.
You can read through the full excerpt below.
"Pedro Pascal can currently be seen starring opposite Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodóvar’s short film, A STRANGE WAY OF LIFE, which first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Up next Pascal can be seen starring in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s independent film, FREAKY TALES, which is set to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Pascal recently wrapped production on Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated GLADIATOR 2 and will soon begin production on Marvel Studios’ FANTASTIC FOUR."
We're sure some fans will remain unconvinced, but SAG is highly unlikely to update its site based solely on a rumor. Short of official word from the studio, we'd say it's a pretty safe bet that Pascal will be suiting-up as the leader of Marvel's First Family.
If the cast is indeed "locked-in," Pascal will likely be joined by Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
There are rumors that both Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One) are top picks to play Doctor Doom, but other actors are sure to be in contention.
The team's most prolific foe is not expected to have a significant role in the reboot (in fact, he may only show up in the post-credits scene), but the villain could well emerge as the new big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - especially after the recent news that Marvel has decided to part ways with Kang actor Jonathan Majors.
Several well-placed sources have claimed that Doom will be one of the main villains of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Javier Bardem is said to be the top choice for Galactus, but his schedule may prevent him from signing on. The Eater of Worlds' herald is believed to be Silver Surfer, but a female take on the character. A recent rumor claimed that Anya Taylor-Joy is being eyed for that role.
Matt Shakman will direct FF. Plot details are still a mystery, but Kevin Feige has confirmed that this will not be another origin story for the super-team.
“A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?” he said in a 2022 interview, comparing this new take on the heroes to Marvel Studios' pact with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the MCU. “We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”