Marvel Reportedly Taps Pedro Pascal To Play Reed Richards In Fantastic Four
One of the most highly anticipated projects in the MCU pipeline is a new take on Marvel's first family — the Fantastic Four. The team has had several cinematic adventures, but none of them quite landed. Casting the right actors is vitally important to the success of finally getting a live-action "Fantastic Four" movie just right, and it now looks like Marvel is interested in getting Pedro Pascal onboard as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, if reports are to be believed.
Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman, who's been reliable in the past, reported that Marvel offered Pascal the role of Reed Richards and that he's close to signing. Meanwhile, Looper's sister site /Film has also reported on the potential casting, with their sources telling them that Pascal has signed on and an official announcement is imminent. Neither Marvel Studios nor Disney have confirmed these reports just yet. Deadline's sources have reportedly said that Pascal and the studio are working out scheduling for the role — no small feat, considering Pascal also has "The Last of Us" Season 2 and "Gladiator 2" in the works.
The role of Reed Richards has been hotly coveted, with actors like Matt Smith and Adam Driver rumored to be in the mix. John Krasinski even played a variant of Reed in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," but it always seemed like a long shot for him to play the character in an extended capacity. If the Pedro Pascal casting turns out to be true, all that's left is filling out the rest of the team.
Pedro Pascal can take a break from playing characters who adopt magic children
Pedro Pascal is an incredibly popular actor at the moment, thanks to his turns in projects like "The Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us." It was likely only a matter of time until he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Reed Richards seems like a prime role for him to fill. Instead of playing a lonely guy who adopts a child with special powers, he can play one of the most intelligent men in the universe who can be somewhat difficult to handle at times. It also ensures he'll appear on the big screen for quite some time.
One would assume Marvel would want the "Fantastic Four" reboot to be its own franchise, with the characters playing roles in various team-ups, such as "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." The Fantastic Four play a huge role in the machinations of Marvel Comics, so all four of them will likely be major powerhouses going into the future of the MCU, and with the X-Men coming not too far behind, there's a lot to look forward to.
That only leaves the casting for the remaining three members of the Fantastic Four: Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing). With the SAG-AFTRA strike reaching a conclusion, there will likely be more casting announcements for those parts in the near future. Vanessa Kirby has long been rumored to play Sue Storm, which would be a (pardon the pun) fantastic get for Marvel. It's one step at a time at the moment, so we'll eagerly await official confirmation from Marvel Studios before popping champagne for Pedro Pascal.