Pedro Pascal
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Marvel Studios is working on a Mr. Fantastic. Pedro Pascal is in talks to play the role of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four, marking perhaps the most significant casting move since the actors’ strike ended earlier this month.
Sources said scheduling is a factor in whether the deal goes through, and the current status of talks is unclear. Marvel had no comment. Genre journalist Daniel Richtman first reported the news of Pascal’s casting on his Patreon account.
There has been speculation about who will star in “Fantastic Four” for more than a year, and Pascal’s casting would give Marvel a popular and notable star in the franchise that is looking to expand beyond the “Infinity Saga”-era family of actors.
Pascal is the star of The Last of Us, the groundbreaking HBO series with a second season in the works, as well as Disney+’s The Mandalorian. And he is scheduled to report to the set of Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” which was closed due to the actors’ strike. He previously starred as a Warner Bros. villain. and DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 and in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
There are still three key roles left to fill in Fantastic Four: The Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch.
WandaVision director Matt Shakman is at the helm of the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 2, 2025. Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer wrote the draft script, while Avatar: The Way of Water writer Josh Friedman is working on the latest version.
Reed Richards was first introduced in Fantastic Four #1 as the leader of the team known as Marvel’s First Family. The 1961 comic established the Marvel comic universe created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Reed Richards was previously played by Ioan Gruffudd in two mid-2000s films, with Miles Teller taking over the role in an ill-fated 20th Century Fox reboot in 2015. John Krasinski played a version of Reed in the MCU in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Pascal is represented by CAA.