It seems as if the rumor mill is now pointing to the internet’s fave to play the world’s stretchiest man. Pedro Pascal is reportedly being eyed to play Reed Richards in the Fantastic Four for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This would be the first member of the team to be named if the casting is officially announced.
The casting of the Fantastic Four has been the topic of many rumors, with insiders and Marvel sources claiming for months to have information. Adam Driver was a top pick for quite some time and there was a sea of blonde actresses up for the role of Sue Storm, but rumors suggested that once the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, the casting announcements would begin. As of this moment, no official casting has been announced, though.
If Pascal is the official choice for Reed, we can start to see the rest of the team around him, at least in imagining our dream casts. As of this moment, the insider who revealed the information said that the timing works with Pascal’s busy schedule, which includes shooting The Last of Us season 2 and the anticipated Gladiator sequel from director Ridley Scott.
While Pascal has been keeping a busy schedule (in part due to his work on The Mandalorian), this will be his first big property for Disney where he’s consistently visible. It is exciting as someone who has been a fan of his work for many years, and I think that he’s a great choice for Reed Richards, especially as someone to build a team around.
Who would join Pascal’s Richards?
Casting Pascal as Reed, or even just eyeing him for the role, gives us a clue to when Marvel wants to set the Fantastic Four in the world of the MCU. It then also gives us a bit more insight into some of the other suggestions for characters from this world. Right now, the Sue Storms and Johnny Storms are similar in age with the rumored shortlist including Jodie Comer (who is 30 years old) and Vanessa Kirby (who is 35 years old), with Joseph Quinn (who is 29) as seemingly the only name on the list for Johnny Storm. For Ben Grimm, there hasn’t been much noise around him other than a rumor about Daveed Diggs.
With the Fantastic Four, the two who need to be closer in age are Reed and Victor von Doom. All of this is really just setting in motion what fans have been waiting for. Right now, this is just a potential casting. Whether Pascal takes it is still up in the air, and we might not see this happen. (Personally? Casting him as Reed would make up for him not being Star Lord.)
(featured image: HBO)
