Exclusive: Daveed Diggs Offered The Thing Role In Fantastic Four
We've learned that Marvel has officially offered the role of the Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, to Daveed Diggs.
It’s officially Clobberin’ Time… or at least that’s what Marvel hopes. Our trusted and proven sources say that Marvel Studios has offered the role of Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, to the young, acclaimed Daveed Diggs. There’s no word on whether or not Diggs will accept the offer, but if so he’ll debut in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot which is scheduled to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
Daveed Diggs is an inspired choice for the role of the Fantastic Four’s resident bruiser for a number of reasons. The Emmy-nominated actor and rapper has not only earned a reputation as an up and coming talent, but his casting would be a win in the field of representation on two fronts. Not only would he join the growing, but still far too short, list of superheroes played by Black actors, but Diggs — like Ben Grimm in the comics — is Jewish.
Failing to hire Jewish actors for characters who are Jewish in the source material is something Marvel has come under fire for quite a bit, most recently with the casting of Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight. Similar criticisms have been leveled at Marvel for casting Elizabeth Olsen in the role of Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch.
Ben Grimm has appeared in live-action in three films: played by Michael Chiklis in the mid-00s FF films, and by Jamie Bell in 2015’s Fantastic Four. If Daveed Diggs accepts the role offered to him by Marvel Studios he will, in fact, be the very first Jewish actor to play the part in live-action.
In large part, it was Daveed Diggs’ work not as an actor, but as a rapper, that helped catapult him to stardom. It was through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap group Freestyle Love Supreme that Diggs first met Miranda, and from there was invited to look at early scripts of Hamilton. He was later cast in the hit stage show as both the French officer, the Marquis de Lafayette and, more notably, as the scene-stealing Thomas Jefferson.
Daveed Diggs starred in, produced, and wrote the acclaimed 2018 dramedy Blindspotting alongside Rafael Casal (Bad Education) which was later spun off into a series. He was also the male lead of TNT’s Snowpiercer and it will be Diggs you hear as the voice of the crab Sebastian in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
As soon as we know whether or not Daveed Diggs says yes to Marvel, we’ll make sure you know. Since this will almost certainly mean a multi-film (and possibly TV series) commitment for Diggs, it’s no small decision.
