Pedro Pascal may end up playing MCU’s Reed Richards! The SAG-AFTRA strike’s conclusion has finally paved the way for Fantastic Four‘s casting to proceed full steam ahead. Surprisingly, even during the Actors Strike, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige appears to have made moves behind the scenes such as screen testing Fifty Shades of Grey actor & even approaching Spider-Man: Far From Home star Jake Gyllenhaal among others.

The diverse ensemble cast for Fantastic Four seems to be a decision from Kevin Feige after realizing his earlier choice of talent made it “way too white”, according to a report by theinsider. While outlets have confirmed Pedro Pascal is in discussions to sign on for the MCU film – it’s come to notice that Marvel reportedly held screen auditions with Christopher Abbott and Jamie Dornan though sadly, the results did not favor those actors.

Pascal, on the other hand, was unwilling to negotiate during the Actors Strike though his team showed interest in continuing talks after the SAG-AFTRA strike. Fortunately, The Last of Us star, who is also poised to play a role in Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator – has found time in his busy schedule to portray Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four, scheduled to film in early 2024.

Meanwhile, Marvel may be close to finding an actor to play the big-bad Galactus in Oscar winner, Javier Bardem. The 54-year-old is accustomed to playing fictional roles, especially considering his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and portraying King Triton in The Little Mermaid.

While Bardem is a frontrunner for Galactus, Marvel has also reached out to Antonio Banderas to play the Devourer of Worlds. It remains to be seen which actor would end up signing on considering it would likely be a multiple-picture contract similar to Joss Brolin‘s Thanos during the Infinity War saga.

The long overdue conclusion to Fantastic Four’s casting is just an official announcement way since reports indicate Ebon Moss-Bachrach would portray Ben Grimm aka The Thing, Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, teased to be the main lead of the feature.

Fantastic Four is currently scheduled for a May 2025 release.