Fantastic Four’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach on Thing Prep: “I’ve Just Been Looking at Rocks”

Back in February, the long-awaited casting news for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four was finally revealed. The film’s core four will include Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Moss-Bachrach previously appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where he teased his costume and revealed the cast had started a group chat. This week, the actor appeared on The Daily Show to promote the new season of The Bear, and he joked about his preparation for playing The Thing. 

“I’m playing Ben Grimm, who becomes The Thing, who is a man encased in rock. So, yeah, I don’t know, I’ve just been looking at rocks,” Moss-Bachrach joked. “I’ve been reading a lot of comics,” he added, more seriously. “It’s really nice. They gave me this Marvel Unlimited thing, so I can just go on my iPad, and go to any comic book that Marvel’s ever released.” 

You can watch the interview below:

Who Stars in The Fantastic Four?

In addition to the titular four, the movie will also feature Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird, Cruella) in an unknown role in addition to Ralph Ineson as Galactus, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, and Natasha Lyonna and John Malkovich in unknown roles. 

“Don’t think that didn’t weigh in as I was deciding whether or not to take the job,” Hauser recently explained to The Hollywood Reporter,. “That movie has not fully been nailed just yet … But I really do think the combination of the screenplay, and the department heads that are working on the film, and that classy cast of really exciting actors – some of them known for a long time, and some of them having a moment right now – [make me feel that] this movie is special, and it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Matt Shakman is directing Fantastic Four, which is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025. Shakman has previously said that the reboot will be much from previous attempts to bring Marvel’s first family to life on the big screen, 

“It’s different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific,” Shakman said. “I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can’t. But I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you’ve seen before.”

Stay tuned for more updates about Fantastic Four.