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Paul Walter Hauser has recently seen his star rocket from “that guy” supporting roles (even after his breakout in 2019’s Richard Jewell) to a near-ubiquitous presence across movies and TV. He’s played a fan-favorite character on Cobra Kai, voices Embarrassment in Pixar’s current box office smash Inside Out 2, has a Chris Farley biopic on the way, and—most importantly for the nerdier fans among us—will play an as-yet-unrevealed role in 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe release The Fantastic Four.
Speaking to Variety, Hauser—who also has somehow also found time to squeeze in a side gig as a professional wrestler—says he’s having a blast prepping for the Marvel project. Unlike some big names in superhero movies, his process hasn’t involved some kind of exhausting physical routine. Rather, he’s been reading comics. Lots of comics.
“Pre-production for me has been reading comic books and reading the screenplay,” he told the trade. “A lot of it is assessing where I fit into that story and how to best utilize my time in it. You don’t want to make choices or do things that are redundant in a film. It’s important to know what the film is and what everyone’s jobs are so that you’re bringing your own unique take to something … Whenever I’m in an ensemble, I’m trying to figure out how to be unique or specific without being distracting.”
The gig has turned his attentions away from his DC Comics roots, it seems. “I didn’t really read Fantastic Four when I was a kid,” he went on to explain. “I was very Batman-centric. But reading the Fantastic Four comics has been a blast. I love it.”
The Fantastic Four is slated to hit theaters July 25, 2025; it’s part of Marvel’s Phase Six. The main quartet will be played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, with Julia Garner as Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson as Galactus; Hauser’s in that “we don’t know who they’re playing yet, but damn this cast is good” group that also includes John Malkovich and Natasha Lyonne.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
