Tim Blake Nelson is joining the club of people who’ve played more than one character in superhero movies. After being Samuel Sterns (aka The Leader) in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, now THR reports that he’s in final talks to star as Harvey Elder in the The Fantastic Four reboot.
He joins Miles Teller as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Kate Mara as his girlfriend Sue Storm (aka Invisible Woman), Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm (aka The Thing), and Michael B. Jordan as Sue’s brother Johnny (aka The Human Torch). Toby Kebbell is set to be Dr. Doom.
In the comics Harvey Elder becomes the villainous Mole Man, but that won’t happen in this movie. Instead the reboot will set up the transformation ready for planned sequels, where he will play a more prominent role. Elder starts out as an eccentric and socially awkward scientist who is later shunned by humanity and becomes the leader of a subterranean group of monsters known as Moloids.
Josh Trank is set to direct with filming due to kick off fairly soon, ready for a summer 2015 release.