Ebon Moss-Bachrach Was Hired to Play The Thing Last Summer and Confirms How They'll Bring the Character to Life

Earlier this month, the poster for Marvel’s The Fantastic 4 was released, revealing the four lead actors in the new franchise, including Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman; Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch; and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.

Moss-Bachrach appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week to talk about the new role, and how it will be executed, telling Kimmel:

"Yeah, it's Clobberin' Time, that's what he says...Ben Grimm from Yancy Street. On the lower East Side. [It's] phonically similar to Delancey but it's imaginary."

The actor has had time to research the character, as he revealed that the rumors of last summer were true, and he has been linked to the role since then. When asked how long he’s known that he would play the part, the actor responded: 

"All my life. No, I found out in the beginning of August. I was taking a walk in the city...this was in the middle of the writer's strike and I got a call from my agent. I wasn't thinking about work at all. They said, 'They asked you to play The Thing.' I was so shocked."

When asked how he'll bring The Thing to life, the actor confirmed that the character will be created on screen in the same way as The Hulk, explaining:

"I don't think it's the suit. Michael Chiklis wore a suit. Apparently, the suit was really uncomfortable. We're past that I think. It's a little cosplay and amateur now with the technology. It's mostly performance capture."

Then, when Kimmel pushed for story details, Moss-Bachrach joined the ranks of a true Marvel actor, carefully proceeding, and responding to the poster released, saying:

"Yeah, that [teaser] image does seem to be '60s. I have read [the script]. I have not met Vanessa. There is a group text. Pedro started [it] a couple of days ago. Everyone has said something...no one is being coy."

The film is still over a year out, so we don’t know much about the story yet, but I’m sure we will start hearing a bit about it soon. Fantastic 4 will hit theaters on July 25, 2025. Check out the whole interview with Ebon Moss-Bachrach below: