Pedro Pascal smiling on the red carpet of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Weapons director, Zach Cregger, is finally opening up about what led to the recasting of the film’s leading man. Those who have been following the title since its early days will know that Pedro Pascal was initially cast in the role of a father who was searching for the truth behind the disappearance of his son.
But, as Cregger explained to Entertainment Weekly, the actors' and writers' strike of 2023 completely derailed the original blueprints for the film. According to Cregger, “I had a whole different cast for this movie,” which we now know not only included The Fantastic Four: First Steps and The Last of Us star, but also Brian Tyree Henry , Renate Reinsve , and Austin Abrams . “And then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal's schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie... This is what happens, right? The strikes delayed us, and then when you delay, people's schedules get conflicts, and then you're back at square one. I bear no ill will towards anybody. We just kept getting delayed and delayed. It's like a domino effect. So I had to start over again." Zach Cregger’s Brand New — Yet Equally Impressive — Leading Lineup Of the original group, Abrams is the only actor who ended up in the film, which releases in cinemas later this week. “He hung tough with me. That’s my dude right there,” Cregger said of the Euphoria alum. Eventually, the movie would find another all-star cast with Josh Brolin picking up the part left open by Pascal and Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich also joining the lineup. At the end of the day, Cregger’s seemingly dead end turned into a redirection of sorts. In his interview, he looked back on the casting process and reflected on the addition of Garner, telling the publication: "I Zoomed with Julia, and within like three minutes, I knew she was the one because she's so intelligent. Just the way she'd already read the script and the way she talked about the character, it was like, 'This is what I've been looking for.' I'd been looking for someone who could smell the essence of this and knew exactly how to come in. I think Julia's smarter than I am, so I knew it was gonna be in good hands with her." Like Follow Followed Weapons R Horror Mystery Release Date August 8, 2025 Runtime 128 minutes Director Zach Cregger Writers Zach Cregger Producers Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz Cast See All
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