At Disney’s offices, they know they need, more than ever, to hit the mark with the upcoming movies and projects in the Marvel universe. Their once golden goose is showing signs of exhaustion, and “The Marvels” is the final straw.
And after months of speculation about who could play Reed Richards, alias Mr. Fantastic, in the Marvel Studios movie “Fantastic Four,” the wait might be over.
Though the deal is far from closed, industry sources have informed Deadline that Pedro Pascal, a three-time Emmy nominee, is in talks to portray the leader of the iconic superhero team. You might remember this actor from the fantastic HBO series, The Last of Us.
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The sources add that scheduling is still being worked on, but several individuals close to the negotiations say Pascal is heading in the right direction for this and his other future projects.
Pascal has quite a busy few years ahead with: Gladiator 2, expected to enter production before the year ends, as well as his popular HBO series The Last Of Us, set to be filmed next year, and Weapons, by Zach Cregger.
As for other team members, that remains to be seen, as it was crucial to figure out who would portray Richards, the lead, before extending offers to other actors.
The ideal scenario would be to start filming early next year, so the cast is expected to fill up quickly with director Matt Shakman currently in pre-production at Pinewood Studios in England. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will be the producer.
Pascal has been on a winning streak in recent years, including his Emmy-nominated role in the successful HBO series The Last of Us, as we mentioned earlier, alongside Bella Ramsey.
