Marvel NEEDS an injection of excitement. I can’t believe I’m saying that, I honestly didn’t think that “Superhero Fatigue” people have been shouting about since 2009 would ever come to pass, alas it seems to be here. Amid the basement boy trolling of Marvel’s latest film, the absolutely enjoyable The Marvels, and the news we just posted regarding Marvel deciding to move away from the Kang storyline due to Jonathan Majors off-screen trouble, we get a shining bright light in the form of Mando himself. Word around the playground is that Pedro Pascal is nearing finalization on a deal to play the founder of Marvel’s first family, Reed Richards, in the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
I’m inclined to say I love the idea, mostly because I love Pascal (outside of Wonder Woman 1984) but part of me feels that the casting is off. Reed is a hyper-intellectual, socially awkward-ish narcissist. While Pascal can absolutely nail the intelligent need for the role, he’s just too damn likable for Richards. I think that was part of the reason for why John Krasinski was a perfect choice, he looks like he could be an arrogant prick in the right circumstance. This all being said, Marvel’s casting folks are not a group I like to second guess, their track record is pretty impeccable and obviously they know more about the direction of the character then me. It’s important to note that this isn’t a done deal yet. Pascal is one of the busiest guys in show business at the moment so scheduling is a factor, time will tell but it feels like this is going to be official soon.
Obviously, the big question, who rounds out the family? Personally I’m all for Zac Efron as Johnny “The Human Torch” Storm. Sue Storm, there are only two choices, Vanessa Kirby or Allison Williams (wonder how she would look as a blonde). Lastly Ben Grimm aka the Thing, this one is trickier as it depends highly on when we meet up with the first family. If they’re already transformed and all they need is a voice actor I think Ron Perlman would be perfect, but he’s obviously problematic should they need to do pre-Thinged Ben so if they go that route I’m going with Jesse “Matt Damon” Plemons.
Keep it tuned here for more on this as we get it!
