Pedro Pascal Circling the Coveted Role of Reed Richards in 'Fantastic Four,' While Rumors Ramp up for Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn & Ebon Moss-Bachrach to Join Marvel's First Family

by Darian Scalamoni

    After tons of speculation on who will be portraying the First Family of Marvel Comics (for the third time..), we may be closer than ever to our answer. Yesterday, news broke across multiple outlets that Pedro Pascal is in talks with Marvel executives to be Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic in the highly anticipated Fantastic Four.

    The first report from Deadline's Justin Kroll details that though the deal is not officially completed, Pascal, who is arguably the busiest actor in Hollywood right now, is heavily involved in conversations to play the coveted role of Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four. Kroll also states that many of the kinks in the deal are Pascal's aforementioned busy scheduling. Just in 2023 alone, he's starring in two of the most high-profile television event series as leads (HBO's The Last of Us and Disney+'s The Mandalorian), and right before the actors went on strike, he was in the process of filming his role for Gladiator 2. Pascal is also slated to shoot Season 2 of The Last of Us next year as well as Zach Cregger's follow-up to Barbarian titled Weapons. We reported on Pascal's casting in that project back in May.

    Other speculative news comes from insider Jeff Sneider, who reported from his site, that the other roles within the superhero team may be announced soon as well, if and when Pascal signs on. Vanessa Kirby has been widely rumored to be playing Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman, while Sneider also alludes to recent surging TV stars, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach to play The Human Torch and The Thing respectively.

    Kirby would make a ton of sense for the role of Sue Storm as someone to be an integral part of Marvel's next phase towards reclaiming its spot at the top of fans hearts. Kirby is currently a part of the Mission: Impossible franchise, making her debut in Dead Reckoning - Part One released earlier this year. She also stars in the upcoming epic drama Napoleon alongside Joaquin Phoenix. 

    Quinn has been a name circulating for months surrounding roles in major tentpoles following his breakout performance in Stranger Things' fourth season as fan favorite Eddie Munson. He will star opposite Lupita Nyong'o in A Quiet Place: Day One which releases on June 28, 2024. He also has a report with Pascal as they are castmates in Gladiator 2. 

    Moss-Bachrach has gained notoriety for his amazing supporting role as Richie Jerimovich in The Bear which streams on Hulu. He also had parts in No Hard Feelings and Andor for Disney+ making himself another valuable commodity within the House of the Mouse's eyes already. 

    What do you guys think of the news that Pedro Pascal might lead the Fantastic Four in the titular film and beyond in the MCU? Do the rest of the rumored castings excite you? Let us know in the comments!