Relatively still fresh on his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning performance for his supporting turn in the Apple TV+ series, “Black Bird,” acclaimed actor Paul Walter Hauser (“I, Tonya,” “Richard Jewell”) is looking to chart his next on-screen appearances for 2025. Having just booked a role in “The Naked Gun” reboot starring Liam Neeson, Hauser has landed a role in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four.”
No character details are available, but Hauser will be joining a big ensemble that includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer.
Fan speculation is already hoping that Hauser might voice the role of H.E.R.B.I.E, a robot ally of The Fantastic Four from the comics that turned up in the first initial ‘Fantastic Four’ casting and poster reveal, though none of that is confirmed.
“WandaVision” director Matt Shakman is helming the picture with in-house Marvel writer Eric Pearson (“Black Widow,” “Thor: Ragnarok”) writing the latest draft of the script. “The Fantastic Four” has a July 25, 2025 release date, and characters like Doctor Doom and Galactus, main ‘Fantastic’ villains, are expected to be cast in the movie eventually.
Late yesterday, Hauser was also cast in “The Naked Gun” by writer/director Akiva Schaffer (“Popstar: Never Stop Popping”), a member of the Lonely Island trio from “Saturday Night Live.” Hauser is set to play Captain Ed, a sidekick to the bumbling detective Frank Drebin, played by Liam Neeson. George Kennedy previously played the role in the original film trilogy that started out as a spin-off from the short-lived 1982 TV series, “Police Squad!” Pamela Anderson is also part of the cast, but the plotline is under wraps so far.
Hauser is having a banner 2024 without having appeared in one live-action screen appearance yet. Late last month, he was cast as Chris Farley in the forthcoming biopic from director Josh Gad about the life of the late “Saturday Night Live” comedian.