Would Tom Ellis have been the perfect Reed Richards? The Lucifer star provides new insights into his experience auditioning to join the MCU.
The process of finding the perfect actor for Reed Richards in the MCU seemed to be a tumultuous one. While Pedro Pascal would ultimately land the role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, signs point to nearly a dozen actors being up for the role. If the rumor mill is to be believed, everyone from Dev Patel to Matt Smith were up for the leading role.
Now it seems yet another name has been revealed as having been in consideration for the role. Tom Ellis, perhaps best known for his role as Lucifer in the eponymous Fox series, recently told Square Mile that he was one of the select actors asked to audition for the role of Reed Richards in the The Fantastic Four: First Steps– believing it may finally be the “right” role for him to join the MCU.
“There was a select group of people that got asked to tape for Reed Richards. I had been waiting for the right thing, timing-wise and character-wise, to come along. And I remember looking at the photo of Richards in the comics and going, ‘This could be the one.’ We look quite similar.”
Tom Ellis Speaks On Losing The Role Of Reed Richards To Pedro Pascal
Of course, history shows that Pedro Pascal would triumph over Tom Ellis in landing one of the MCU’s most coveted roles. However, it seems that Ellis doesn’t harbor any ill will over losing out on the chance to star in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actor admits that one of the best parts of being an actor is the chance to hit things big, even if it doesn’t work out.
“I understand that to a certain degree,” Ellis remarks when asked if booking a role may be more exciting than acting in that role “Although I really enjoy doing the jobs. But it’s what we live for. We live for the what if-ness of it.”
“We’re all in this industry because we all dreamt about doing it one day. I think we’re still all dreamers, and the people who say they’re not are either too cynical or they shouldn’t be doing it anymore.”
While fans have ultimately loved Pedro Pascal’s performance as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, that doesn’t mean there’s no place for Tom Ellis in the MCU. Fans have been hoping that the Lucifer star would join the franchise for quite some time. While Mister Fantastic was perhaps the most well-known fancast, the actor has also been floated as perfect for key villains like Mr. Sinister and Doctor Doom (although that second role may also be taken for the next few years!)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now available for digital purchase. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
