Despite the absolute robbery that was Patrick Dempsey cinching Sexiest Man Alive, 2023 is the year of Pedro Pascal.
The Chilean-American actor is best known for dazzling on the small screen, but his charming appeal may be headed to the big screen for a major blockbuster release. He’s in talks to take on the role of Mr. Fantastic for the MCU’s Fantastic Four, a casting potential that may even be enough to save what feels like an un-adaptable team. Every prior attempt to bring the foursome to the big screen so far has failed, each earning abysmal reviews and further cementing the widespread opinion that the Fantastic Four simply don’t suit live action.
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards could change that. His talent is no match for the technical hurdles of the team, and its no antidote for bad writing, of course, but if everything else comes together we could have the first solid attempt at bringing the Fantastic Four to live action in just a few years. It would be far from Pascal’s first cinematic release, of course, but with so much recent success on the small screen the actor carries a new weight. He’s widely respected as one of the most-liked actors of this era, and that’s on top of his official status as the internet’s Daddy. Zaddy? Both.
Even without Fantastic Four, Pascal’s schedule is absolutely packed over the next few years. He’s got plenty of work lined up already, but MCU holdouts — desperate for a reason to keep watching — are clinging to hope that he’ll find time to elevate the franchise.
Pedro Pascal’s upcoming roles
In 2023 alone, Pascal appeared in four separate releases, several of which are award contenders. The Last of Us and season 3 of The Mandalorian were easily among the most prominent, but he also appeared in HouseBroken, an animated sitcom, and Strange Way of Life, a short film he graced alongside Ethan Hawke.
2024 and beyond are even more stacked for the ever-popular actor. 2023 saw him rise to even greater prominence than he enjoyed during early seasons of The Mandalorian, Narcos, or even Game of Thrones, and studios took notice. They’re tripping over themselves to include the actor in as many projects as possible, which is great news for the rest of us. More work for Pascal means more Pascal on our screens, and no one is complaining about that.
Drive Away Dolls — February 23, 2024
We’re only a few months out from the release of Drive Away Dolls, a comedy road trip flick starring Pascal alongside Matt Damon, Margaret Qualley, and Geraldine Viswanathan. The early 2024 film follows Qualley and Viswanathan’s Jamie and Marian as their attempted road trip inadvertently blends with the awry plan of some inept criminals.
Gladiator 2 — November 22, 2024
The first Gladiator film is more than 23 years old, at this point, so many people never expected a sequel. That’s not to say we’re not excited, however, as Pascal joins Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Paul Mescal, to name a few, on the long-awaited sequel to Russel Crowe’s 2000 hit.
Fantastic Four — 2025
Look, I understand that it’s nothing but rumors at this point, but a girl can dream, can’t she? And my dreams are overflowing with Pascal, decked-out neck-to-toe in a skin-tight blue onesie, stretching those 5 feet 11 inches into every shape imaginable.
Tropico — TBA
No, Tropico is not an adaptation of the dictatorial community management games, but rather a thriller centered around a steamy love… square? The flick features a dazzling cast, with Pascal appearing alongside Willem Dafoe and Morenna Baccarin. The plot follows Dafoe’s Raymond, who is gathering information on Pascal’s Mark when he inadvertently finds himself falling for two separate women: Mark’s wife, Lucia, and her twin sister Lea. The film doesn’t have a release date just yet, but it is officially in production.
My Dentist’s Murder Trial — TBA
The first televised offering on this list, My Dentist’s Murder Trial is still a ways out. The series is in pre-production, and the only two names currently attached are enough to make the daddy-thirsty masses fall into a coma. Pascal is set to appear in the adaptation of James Lasdun’s article of the same name alongside Stranger Things‘ David Harbour, in the Zaddy event of the decade.
Freaky Tales — TBA
Not many details about Freaky Tales are out, just yet, but the upcoming project’s stacked cast all but guarantees its success. We may actually see Pascal, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Jay Ellis, and Angus Cloud appear in the incoming release ahead of My Dentist’s Murder Trial, since Freaky Tales is already in post-production, but you can never know for sure when it comes to moviemaking.
The Uninvited — TBA
It may sound like a horror movie, but The Uninvited appears poised to deliver a comedic twist on the oft-revisited horror scenario of someone showing up to a party uninvited. The film promises “a comedy of errors,” delivered by Pascal and his lineup of co-stars, which includes Lois Smith, Elizabeth Reaser, and Walton Goggins.
Weapons — TBA
The final release currently on Pascal’s schedule is Weapons, another incoming project without a clear release date. Audiences should set sights on the horror epic within the next few years, however, despite the film’s early status. Only two names are currently attached to the “interrelated, multistory” release, with Renate Reinsve adding her talent to Pascal’s for the mystery movie.
