It’s Always Sunny Star To Join Fantastic Four?
Glenn Howerton of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia would like to be in consideration to join the MCU's Fantastic Four movie.
These days, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton has been expanding his repertoire of roles and currently voices Fred in the much-reviled new Velma show. However, the actor has bigger aspirations than being a voice actor in a controversial cartoon. In a recent interview with The Movie Dweeb, Glenn Howerton (who has long been a fan-favorite casting choice for Mr. Fantastic) expressed interest in starring in the MCU’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie, saying that it would be “super fun” and that the movie’s director Matt Shakman “is a very close friend and an absolutely incredible director” that he would love to work with again.
If you mostly know the actor from his portrayal of the hilariously sociopathic Dennis Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, it may be difficult to imagine him slapping on some blue spandex and fighting villains like Dr. Doom or the Mole Man. However, Howerton was originally considered for the role of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, and he only very narrowly lost out to Chris Pratt. The powers that be at Marvel clearly saw the superheroic potential that Glenn Howerton had, so it would make sense they would strongly consider casting him in a Fantastic Four film.
As much as fans want to see Glenn Howerton leading the Fantastic Four, the actor seems very humble about the very possibility. He was quick to emphasize that he has no deal with Marvel and that “ain’t nobody called me about that yet.” However, should MCU executives ever ring him up, Howerton said “I would accept that phone call.”
Glenn Howerton also expressed that he’d be willing to star in the Fantastic Four for very little money, saying that he’d be willing to give them 75 percent of whatever the salary would be. While the actor is known for doing comedic bits onscreen, he emphasized that he’s “not joking” and that he could throw this number out “because I know they’re not gonna pay me that much anyways.” The last bit likely is a bit of the actor’s self-deprecating humor, though he may also be taking a not-so-subtle jab at Disney’s practice of hiring cheaper talent both in front of and behind the camera whenever possible.
Regardless of whether Glenn Howerton actually gets cast in Fantastic Four, it’s too early to tell what the movie is going to be like. No official casting choices have been made nor has any release date been set for the film. And there is always the possibility Disney will tap John Krasinski to reprise his role as Mr. Fantastic, though the fact that his Reed Richards was from a different multiverse opens the door for Howerton or others to step into those iconic blue boots.
One thing working in Glenn Howerton’s favor, though, is that Kevin Feige previously revealed that, much like Spider-Man: Homecoming before it, the upcoming Fantastic Four film is going to forgo telling an origin story. This means less pressure to cast a younger actor to play Mr. Fantastic, though it’s unclear how Reed Richards and his famous family have been operating for years in the MCU with nobody knowing about them. Honestly, we just hope Howerton’s Mr. Fantastic gets to use the Ultimate Nullifier in the movie because, much like Dennis Reynolds, he needs to have his tools to get the job done.
