At this point, it seems highly likely that Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards in Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot, but since we are still waiting on that official casting announcement, the studio and everyone involved with the project are doing their best to keep a lid on things.
The Game of Thrones alum was the subject of a SAG-AFTRA career retrospective, and right at the end of the interview, he was asked outright if he'll be joining the MCU in Fantastic Four.
All Pascal would say in response was: "You said this was a 90-minute interview... it's well past 90 minutes.”
Some expert level sidestepping there! In the same interview, Pascal revealed that he auditioned for Netflix's Daredevil series before deciding to take his Narcos role instead. The actor said he would have played "a lawyer," but not the lawyer!
As for that long-awaited announcement, there are rumors that it might arrive soon. Like, very soon! Be sure to keep an eye on CBM over the rest of the weekend.
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.”