Marvel’s Fantastic Four Has Already Cast The Thing?
Marvel's Fantastic Four reboot is rumored to include Daveed Diggs as Ben Grimm, The Thing.
Ever since Disney bought 21st Century Fox, fans have been waiting for one of their acquired properties to finally get a decent adaptation. While Matt Shakman‘s upcoming Fantastic Four film won’t begin filming until 2024, rumors are already flying about who will play Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing). Amid these rumors, Jeff Sneider from The Hot Mic Podcast reports that the MCU Fantastic Four may have found its Ben Grimm, The Thing, with Hamilton actor Daveed Diggs being considered to play the role.
This rumor comes via The Hot Mic podcast, where Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider said that The Fantastic Four will not feature an all-white cast, with half-black, half-Jewish Daveed Diggs in the running to play the team’s most orange, rock-skinned team member.
In Hamilton — which is currently available on Disney+ — Daveed Diggs played the French military officer Marquis de Lafayette, who helped fight against the British during the American Revolutionary Role. He has also performed in other Disney projects, including playing Crux in Star Wars: Visions, The Rat King in Marven’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and Sebastian in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. With that much Disney-adjacent experience under his belt, it’s not that surprising that Marvel would approach him for a role in The Fantastic Four.
Whispers of the Fantastic Four casting Daveed Diggs’ aren’t the only rumors circulating. It’s said that Adam Driver is in talks to play Reed Richards, despite the fact that John Krasinski already played the character in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. On top of that, a cryptic social media post from Scream 6 star Mason Gooding has led fans to believe he’s in the running to play Johnny Storm, who uses that catchphrase whenever he ignites himself.
Other rumors say that Margot Robbie, the actress who played Harley Quinn in multiple DC films, has been offered the role of Sue Storm. If true, then a Fantastic Four with Daveed Diggs, Adam Driver, and Mason Gooding would make for an all-star cast that will doubtlessly gain the attention of comic book fans around the world. It raises hopes that maybe, just maybe, the superhero team that launched Marvel will finally be done right.
Despite being considered one of the foundational series that led to Marvel Comics gaining prominence, The Fantastic Four has had a rocky film history. Starting with an awful unreleased 1994 film, Marvel’s so-called “first family” suffered through a pair of poorly-received films in the mid-2000s and an absolutely abysmal 2015 reboot. Unless Disney’s upcoming film manages to be the worst MCU movie ever created, their version of The Fantastic Four will be the best movie that the classic superheroes have ever starred in.
Filming for The Fantastic Four, with or without Daveed Diggs, is scheduled to begin in early 2024, with Disney eyeing a February 14, 2025 release date. This date has been pushed back from its previously-announced release date of November 8, 2024.
