The Marvel fanbase has been anxiously waiting for the announcement of who will be bringing the franchise’s First Family to life in the upcoming brand-new screen iteration of the Fantastic Four, and an unexpected Instagram story from an account that appears to belong to director Matt Shakman has given us the closest thing to a confirmation yet.
Reports have gone back and forth from what used to be a lineup of Adam Driver, Margot Robbie, and Paul Mescal to the current leading formation of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. All in-demand names that the franchise would be lucky to have, but no official word yet from Kevin Feige and co. about who will take on the roles of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.
Did Matt Shakman really confirm Pedro Pascal will be in Fantastic Four?
On Feb. 8, 2024, @mattshakman, an unverified Instagram account using Shakman’s name, and which some fans have pointed out might be fake, shared a post by Pubity with the headline “SAG-AFTRA CONFIRMS PEDRO PASCAL WILL PLAY REED RICHARDS IN ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’.”
Fans naturally raved at the apparent confirmation, which had been a long time coming, but the lack of a more trustworthy source quickly quelled the excitement. Not only was the legitimacy of this Instagram account questioned, due to the lack of posts and followers (fewer than 700 when the story was published, and rounding 14 hundred at the time of writing), but the source for this supposed SAG-AFTRA confirmation was nowhere to be found.
More than one website reported on the apparent snafu from the Actors’ Guild, which, according to numerous articles, said Pascal would “soon begin production” on Fantastic Four before there was ever a confirmation from Marvel’s camp. The exclusive was shared in a description for a Pedro Pascal Career Retrospective event which took place in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Apparently the page, which has since been edited, contained the sentence “Pascal recently wrapped production on Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated Gladiator 2 and will soon begin production on Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four.”
It’s clear the mention was accidental on SAG-AFTRA’s part. The person writing that description doesn’t necessarily have to be someone with access to exclusive information, either, and could have simply mistaken rumor for fact. Shakman’s sharing of the news, however, is where things get tricky. If that Instagram really does belong to the director-producer then it does seem Pedro Pascal’s involvement in the hyper-secretive project is as official as can be.
If so, it sounds like both the union and the filmmaker have ruined Marvel’s rumored big plan to announce the highly-anticipated cast during the Super Bowl at the end of the trailer for Deadpool 3. Ay, ay, ay, those freakin’ crossed wires!
We Got This Covered has reached out to Shakman’s representatives for comment on the legitimacy of the account.
