Oppenheimer and Lousy Carter star David Krumholtz recently revealed that he met with The Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman to discuss playing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Ben Grimm/The Thing.
That came after the actor shared his interest in the role on social media, though it's Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Andor) who was chosen to play the Ever-Lovin Blue-Eyed Thing last summer.
Talking to ComicBook.com, Krumholtz talked more about what drew him to The Thing and shared his longtime appreciation for the Marvel Universe.
"I grew up reading Marvel comics obsessively," he said. "When the MCU happened, the satisfaction in seeing the actual costumes and seeing what they could do and do it accurately and authentically, it was exactly my dream come true. When you read those comics, it's hard not to imagine them as films, and they did it. They did it really, really well. It was emotional, for me."
"I still very much want to be part of the MCU at some point. I have no qualms about. It's not cool to say that right now. I don't care," Krumholtz admitted. "To me, it's the coolest thing. The Thing just felt like a good fit, to some extent. I think Ebon Moss-Bachrach is gonna do an amazing job with that."
As for what drew him to the role, it appears Shakman shared at least a few details with him about what starring in The Fantastic Four would have entailed. Unsurprisingly, the actor is disappointed to miss out on a superhero transformation.
"A lot of it is motion-capture and voice stuff so I really wanted to try that and I've never done that before, so that was something that intrigued me big time," he explained. "Just to be part of the team, I've always loved that character, but you never know. Something will come up, or not, I'll end up playing Ghost Rider's orthodontist."
Earlier this year, Krumholtz suggested that, after missing out on Ben Grimm, he could play a villain Marvel's First Family squared off with in the pages of their first-ever comic book: 1961's The Fantastic Four #1.
"I mean, [I'm] a shoe-in for Mole Man," he said. "But I don't know. I'll do anything Marvel tells me to. I'll probably end up playing like a superhero's therapist. Let's face it. There's slim pickings for guys like me in that world, unfortunately. I'm old and I'm not in any kind of acceptable shape. So we'll see how that works out, if it works out at all."
On Valentine's Day, Marvel Studios announced that Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will lead The Fantastic Four cast.
Director Matt Shakman has worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four's screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) recently coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.