Fantastic Four May Have Found Its Thing In The Bear Actor, But He's Keeping Quiet For Now

Marvel's first family is headed to the silver screen in the future, and as for who's playing the role the team's granite-skinned powerhouse, Emmy-winning actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach has responded to rumors that he has been cast as The Thing... sort of.

Speaking to The Wrap about rumors of him playing Benjamin Grimm, The Bear actor said "Oh, I can't confirm, and I can't deny, I think."

That's a response that is ripe for interpretation, although it wouldn't be the first time that an actor has played coy with their casting in a Marvel movie. Andrew Garfield kept fans guessing for months about whether or not he'd make an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home--"No matter what I say, I'm f**ked"--and other actors typically play their cards close to their chest to maintain an air of secrecy.

If he is portraying The Thing, this will be Moss-Bachrach's second role in the MCU after his appearance in Netflix's The Punisher series as Frank Castle's quartermaster. This will also be the fourth live-action incarnation of The Thing, as the character first appeared in the Roger Corman-produced 1994 Fantastic Four film, was played by Michael Chiklis in Tim Story's duology, and Jamie Bell's voice and motion capture was used for the full-CGI version in 2015.

As for the rest of the cast, it has been reported that Pedro Pascal is in talks for the role of Reed Richards AKA Mr. Fantastic. Shooting is expected to begin early next year under director Matt Shakman once the rest of the cast has been finalized.