Rahul Kohli Confirms Near Casting as Mister Fantastic in MCU Reboot

Besides John Krasinski’s popular fan casting as Mister Fantastic, there were several other actors, whom fans have been wanting to see take on the role of Reed Richards. One of them was Midnight Mass star Rahul Kohli, who, like Krasinksi, has been a long-time fan-favorite casting for Mister Fantastic, since the MCU reboot was first teased.

As it turns out, Kohli actually had the chance to audition for Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four movie. During a recent interview with Salaam Nerds, while sharing his honest thoughts on fan castings, the British actor suddenly admitted that he was one of the actors considered for Reed Richards/ Mister Fantastic, before Pedro Pascal ultimately landed the part.

“Look, on good days, [fan castings] are wonderful,” Kohli said. “When your mental health is good and you see people fan cast you, and they’re like ‘oh my God, you should be whoever,’ until Pedro Pascal was announced…Yeah, I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it but… I didn’t get it is the important thing.”

He continued, “But, on good days I see the Constantine. It will flare up once and again. And, I love all of them. On good days, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m wanted!’ People really want to see. You’re the guy that people will shout out for anything. On bad days, ‘It’s a reminder that you’re not the guy. You’re not there. These are the roles you’ll never get.’ So, it’s sweet and it’s perspective. It’s how you feel about yourself.”

Who’s the cast of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four?

Besides Pascal, The Fantastic Four will also be led by Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Julia Garner (Ozark) as a “Shalla-Bal version” of the Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter) as Galactus, along with John Malkovich (Places in the Heart), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird) and Natasha Lyonne (The Russian Doll) in undisclosed roles. The titular team was announced through a Valentine’s Day poster, which seemingly hinted that the the story might take place in the 1960s. The key-art also teased the appearance of the team’s trustee robot H.E.R.B.I.E.

The MCU reboot will be directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman from a screenplay being rewritten by Josh Friedman based on a draft from Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. The project was first teased by Kevin Feige during 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con, with Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts originally attached to direct.

The film debuts on July 25, 2025 as part of the MCU’s Phase 6.