Earlier this month, Marvel Studios celebrated Valentine's Day by announcing the cast of The Fantastic Four: 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).
The latter sat down for a chat with Jimmy Kimmel yesterday evening and broke his silence on his impending transformation into the iconic comic book superhero.
"Yeah, it's Clobberin' Time, that's what he says...Ben Grimm from Yancy Street," the Andor said of his casting. "On the lower East Side. [It's] phonically similar to Delancey but it's imaginary."
So, he's been doing his research but it turns out the actor has had a very long time to do so. His name was first linked to The Fantastic Four last July and we now know it was the following month when Marvel Studios made his role as The Thing official.
"All my life," Moss-Bachrach joked when asked when he got the call. "No, I found out in the beginning of August. I was taking a walk in the city...this was in the middle of the writer's strike and I got a call from my agent. I wasn't thinking about work at all. They said, 'They asked you to play The Thing.' I was so shocked."
Asked how he'll bring The Thing to life, the actor confirmed the ever-lovin' blue-eyed hero will be realised on screen in the same way as The Hulk.
"I don't think it's the suit. Michael Chiklis wore a suit. Apparently, the suit was really uncomfortable," he explained. "We're past that I think. It's a little cosplay and amateur now with the technology. It's mostly performance capture."
From there, Moss-Bachrach started choosing his words carefully. Pushed for story details, he'd only say, "Yeah, that [teaser] image does seem to be '60s. I have read [the script]." And when it comes to his co-stars, he added, "I have not met Vanessa. There is a group text. Pedro started [it] a couple of days ago. Everyone has said something...no one is being coy."
You can watch the full interview with Moss-Bachrach in the player below (The Fantastic Four talk starts at the 6:10 mark).
The Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, debuted in 1961. The team is comprised of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Susan Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing). They gained superpowers during a space mission, becoming Marvel's first family of superheroes.
Director Matt Shakman has worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on the latest draft of The Fantastic Four's screenplay. The movie is now scheduled to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.