Pedro Pascal is reportedly set to play Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie

The Fantastic Four movie may have finally found its Reed Richards. According to a November 15, Deadline report, Pedro Pascal might portray the MCU's smartest stretchiest superhero scientist, aka Mr. Fantastic, in the upcoming flick. The report further adds that the casting announcement isn't official yet, and is still in the hazy region of negotiations.

However, the agreement appears to be nearing completion, and the timing/scheduling has to be worked out because Pascal has several additional significant projects on his agenda. Season 2 of The Last of Us is set to begin filming next year, and Gladiator 2 is set to begin filming before the end of this year.

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Fantastic Four reportedly casts The Last of Us star as Mr Fanatastic

Mr Strech will reportedly portrayed by the Mandalorian himself (Image via Marvel comics)

Fantastic Four is scheduled to begin production in 2024, and if Pedro Pascal decides to join the cast as Reed Richards, the rest of the family, Johnny Storm (Human Torch), Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), and Ben Grimm (The Thing) will most certainly be confirmed shortly after too.

Matt Shakman, known for directing WandaVision, episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, and Game of Thrones, is directing the upcoming film which will be the MCU debut of Marvel’s Fantastic team.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has lately extended into the multiverse, adding versions of a number of iconic characters, notably Reed Richards, who was portrayed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by John Krasinski.

However, with the reports via Hollywood insiders, it looks like Krasinki will not be reprising his role, and Mr Fantastic will be portrayed in the MCU by the three-time Emmy nominee star if Pedro Pascal chooses to sign.

Plot specifics for Marvel's Fantastic Four film are being kept under wraps, but director Matt Shakman spoke to ComicBook about how his previous work, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, influenced the next MCU movie, as well as what aspects of the team's Marvel Comics source material resonated with him.

He said,

"I've learned so much from working on It's Always Sunny over the years, Those guys bring a unique combination of playfulness and precision, and I think you have to have both of those things in everything you make. You have to still be a kid in the sandbox playing and inventing, but you also have to be rigorous about what you're doing and comedy is even more rigorous than anything else. I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material.”

In the interview, the director also discusses how he grew up reading Fantastic Four comics and how he wants to pay tribute to legends John Byrne and Jack Kirby in the upcoming MCU production. The film will be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.