There’s news. And there’s huge news. And there’s planet-sized news. And then there’s news that’s big enough to eat a planet as a delicious breakfast snack. And the latest bit of Marvel casting news is firmly in the final category – a much-anticipated role that finally puts a face to a gigantic name. Yes, the MCU is finally preparing to introduce legendary cosmic world-chomper Galactus in next year’s The Fantastic Four, and the powers that be have found their man: British actor Ralph Ineson.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ineson will be donning the funky purple headgear and going head-to-head with the new Fantastic Four line-up – that’s Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm. Ineson is still beloved as ‘Finchy’ from the original UK version of The Office – but he’s no stranger to bigger productions and genre fare. He played Death Eater Amycus Carrow in the later Harry Potter films, entered VR worlds in Spielberg’s Ready Player One, played the Green Knight in The Green Knight, and has regularly collaborated with Robert Eggers, on The Witch and The Northman. Later this year, he’ll appear in Eggers’ Nosferatu, following up his most recent big-screen role in The First Omen. He’s also currently shooting Gullermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Ineson himself responded to the news in gloriously casual fashion: "World devouring cosmic villain is it? I’ll see what I can do."
There are plenty of questions regarding what’s in store – how will Galactus stack up against fellow cosmic entities like the Celestials? Will he be more than just a Fantastic Four villain, and go on to become an even bigger bad in the MCU? Will he effectively take over from Kang in the Marvel mega-threat stakes? And will he have a Yorkshire accent? Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure: this time, don’t expect Galactus to be a big floaty cloud (no, we still haven’t forgotten that, Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer).