As casting rumors surround Marvel Studios’ upcoming ‘The Fantastic Four,’ actor Ricky Gervais recently threw his hat into the ring, but to a less than enthusiastic reception from the fanbase.
Following a post from the Fantastic Four Updates account on X, which cited insider Daniel Richtman, Gervais inquired about a role that Marvel reportedly aims to fill with a comedian, specifically the character H.E.R.B.I.E:
“Marvel Studios is reportedly interested in casting a comedian for the role of H.E.R.B.I.E. in ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR.’”
Gervais’ cheeky response was:
“Can I swear?”
This then sparked discussions and, notably, backlash from some fans.
You can see the tweet below.
Can I swear?
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 22, 2024
Fans Believe Gervais isn’t a ‘Comedian’
The possibility of Gervais joining the MCU has not been met with universal acclaim. Comments beneath his post ranged from dismissive to outright hostile, with some users criticizing Gervais’ comedic style and past controversies and questioning his fit for the MCU. One of the fans wrote:
“Go away, irrelevant person.”
Another one said:
“They’re looking for comedians. Not talentless trolls.”
Calling Gervais a ‘narcissist,’ another wrote:
“Oh, sorry, Richard, that tweet actually says comedian, not transphobic narcissist.”
On the other hand, Reddit users proposed alternative comedians such as Matt Berry, Tom Kenny, Bill Hader, and Griffin Newman for the role.
Latest News About ‘Fantastic Four’
In other developments, actor David Krumholtz expressed his own wishes to join the MCU to play Ben Grimm, aka The Thing:
“It’s been a big, sort of unabashedly craven goal of mine to be part of the MCU in some way. I met Matt Shakman for Ben Grimm. I only met him on the strength of a Twitter post or an Instagram post that I then took down two hours after I posted it. I was embarrassed.”
Since its initial announcement by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige in July 2019, ‘Fantastic Four’ has seen several updates, including a change in directors from Jon Watts to Matt Shakman and multiple revisions to the script, now in the hands of writers Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, and Josh Friedman.
Despite the origin story of ‘The Fantastic Four’ being well-trodden ground, Feige said he aims to exceed the expectations set by previous Marvel successes.
Stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach have already been confirmed to portray the superhero team. Meanwhile, rumors have also linked Javier Bardem to the role of Galactus. The film is slated for release on July 25, 2025.
