Fantastic Four cast just got its first confirmed star

After months of rumors, the Fantastic Four cast just got its first confirmed star – and it’s proving a divisive choice. 

2023 wasn’t exactly the best year for the MCU – Ant-Man 3, aka Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was a critical and commercial flop, Secret Invasion became the worst-reviewed Marvel series to date, and The Marvels was the lowest-grossing MCU movie. 

However, things might be looking up in the future – Deadpool is a tried and tested formula, with fans loving the Merc with a Mouth’s explicit humor. Thanks to Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, he’ll be making his MCU debut in Deadpool 3 later this year. 

Then there’s the Fantastic Four reboot, which is set to kick off Phase Six of the MCU. Whether it will be a success or not and revive Marvel’s “first family” is yet to be seen, but we do know that the casting will play a significant role. 

Fantastic Four cast just got its first confirmed star

On Tuesday (February 6), Pedro Pascal attended the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Career Retrospective in LA, with the union confirming that he “will soon begin production” on Fantastic Four.

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This marks the first confirmed actor for the Fantastic Four cast following months of speculation. It’s long been rumored that the Mandalorian star was the first choice for Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic. 

In November last year, Deadline reported that Marvel offered the role to Pascal, but while sources said negotiations were “headed in the right direction,” nothing had been confirmed. 

However, this all changed with SAG-AFTRA’s listing, which states: “Pascal recently wrapped production on Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated Gladiator 2 and will soon begin production on Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four.”

Despite Pascal’s caliber as an actor, the choice has proven divisive among fans, with many feeling it’s a safe choice. “As much as I dislike this casting, I am still gonna give it a chance,” wrote one. “This could be the best Mr Fantastic iteration and we wouldn’t even know it fr. But time will tell.”

To demonstrate just how divided opinion is, under the same post, one person said, “Worst casting ever,” while another commented, “I’m excited, great choice.”

Fantastic Four is set to drop in cinemas on May 2, 2025 – you can find out more about the movie here.