The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie might be about to become a whole lot cooler if the most recent casting rumors are to be believed. Hamilton‘s very own Marquis de Lafayette, Daveed Diggs, has reportedly been offered the role of Ben Grimm, AKA The Thing.
The rumors come from numerous insiders including MyTimeToShineHello on Twitter and Grace Randolph, who, in a recent video, said “Someone in a big Disney movie in the coming couple of months is potentially – they have to accept the offer – going to be a member of the Fantastic Four.” Diggs is currently a part of one of the most anticipated Disney films of the year, as the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid live acting adaptation, so the leap toward Marvel wouldn’t be that great of a stretch. Hot Mic Podcast hosts Jeff Sneider and John Rocha also mentioned the possibility in their latest episode.
Fans have already begun warming up to the idea, with many highlighting the fact that, like Ben, Diggs is also Jewish. Marvel has infamously cast its heroes without much regard for ethnic accuracy, with Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Moon Knight as prime examples. Diggs’ casting would be a step in the right direction.
The Fantastic Four film has been the subject of a multitude of rumors. Mila Kunis is reportedly no longer boarding the project as the MCU’s Sue Storm, but the franchise is said to have found its Reed Richards in Adam Driver and Johnny Storm in Paul Mescal. Also, Margot Robbie could be coming on as Sue. With the sensational triple threat that is Diggs rounding up the team, it all sounds almost too good to be true. Still, we really hope it is.