By Tom Hartig on November 16, 2023 at 11:21 am

Fan favorite Pedro Pascal could play one of the leading roles in "Fantastic Four". According to various sources, Marvel is keen on casting the star - but he actually has plenty to do with other projects already.

According to both Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider and Daniel Richtman, Pedro Pascal is set to take on the role of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. The actor will be appearing in the second season of "The Last of Us" in 2024, as well as in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator 2" and the thriller "Weapons". According to Sneider, now that the strikes are over, they are busy checking schedules to find a gap somewhere for the new MCU movie.

Marvel already had other actors in mind for the role of Mr. Fantastic. Prior to the strike, there were screen tests with Christopher Abbott and Jamie Dornan, which didn't go so well, however. Adam Driver and Jake Gyllenhaal were also in talks, but allegedly asked for too much money. MCU boss Kevin Feige is becoming more and more careful not to let the budgets for the new films get out of hand - which is why, according to the insider, Emma Stone was also ultimately not given the role of Sue Storm.

In fact, this character is set to be the focus of the next "Fantastic Four" movie and is now rumored to be played by Vanessa Kirby. Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn is the hottest candidate for Johnny Storm, while Ebon Moss-Bachrach is being considered for the role of Ben Grimm.

WandaVision director Matt Shakman is to take over as director, while the final screenplay will be written by "Avatar 2" author Josh Friedman. The theatrical release for the new "Fantastic Four" movie is slated for May 2, 2025.