Report Accuses Disney of Passing On Oscar-Nominated Actor For ‘Fantastic Four’ Because He Was ‘Too White’

On Valentine's Day, Marvel Studios officially announced its cast and release date for the new Fantastic Four (2025) film. The cast includes Pedro Pascal from The Mandalorian, Vanessa Kirby from The Crown and Napoleon (2023), Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach from Hulu/FX's award-winning show The Bear. 

Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.

Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour, in theaters July 25, 2025. pic.twitter.com/dOmLG0m7ie

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) February 14, 2024

While the cast and release date was pretty much already known in Hollywood circles, the official cast release did raise questions about why Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios made their decisions. And it appears that some of the answers are starting to reveal themselves.

According to a report from the Western Journal, Disney wanted to go with a more prominent name to play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Initially, the studio wanted Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal for the role, but the studio ultimately went with Pedro Pascal. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Brokeback Mountain (2005). 

But what made Marvel Studios decide to go with Pedro Pascal over Gyllenhaal? According to the report, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige chose the Chilean-born actor Pascal because he thought with Gyllenhall, the cast was “way too white.”

Fantastic casual…
Art by Adam Murphy #FantasticFour pic.twitter.com/t21fU6K75T

— X-Manhunt for a year with no drama 💙💛 (@RPHutch1975) February 17, 2024

Related: Disney Is Accused of Being ‘Woke,' What Exactly Does That Mean? 

According to the Western Journal, Hollywood Insider Jeff Sneider said:

With Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach lined up for the other three leads, Feige foresaw another issue with Gyllenhaal besides the actor’s fee. I’m told he feared that the cast was ‘way too white,’ in the words of one insider. Reed Richards would be the character eyed to diversify the cast.

Apparently, the film also passed on Star Wars alum Adam Driver for a similar reason. But there was a secondary reason why Marvel Studios chose to go with Pascal: money.

Disney and Marvel Studios thought hiring either Gyllenhaal or Adam Driver would have been much too expensive and decided to hire Pascal to play Mr Fantastic.

Disney has come under fire for its diversity efforts as of late. Former advisor to President Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and his America First Legal sued Disney last week, claiming that the company discriminated against white men.

Related: With DeSantis on the Sideline, Former Trump Advisor Takes His Turn Suing Disney

American First Legal has filed a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that the Walt Disney Company violated  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans employment discrimination by prohibiting companies from using race, color, religion, sex, or national origin merely as motivating factors for hiring, training, or promotions.

Disney will be accused of using the Fantastic Four film to promote its “woke agenda, but it is more likely that Disney and Marvel were just looking to save money in the case, as have the last few Marvel films, the film fails, it would not be such a big hit to the company.

What do you think about Pedro Pascal playing Mr Fantastic? Let us know in the comments.