While he apparently won’t be taking on the Mole Man persona in The Fantastic Four, Tim Blake Nelson is being lined up to star as Harvey Elder, an eccentric and socially awkward scientist who eventually adopts that moniker and becomes a villainous foe of the heroic foursome.
In the Fantastic Four comic books, Mole Man (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) flees to the underground after feeling shunned by humanity and becomes leader of a subterranean group of monsters known as the Moloids.
Though The Hollywood Reporter claims that sources tell them that he won’t be playing Mole Man in this instalment of the rebooted franchise, his appearance as Harvey is setting up the possibility of him returning as the villain in a sequel.
This won’t be the first time that Nelson has dabbled in the world of comic book movies, as he played Samuel Sterns in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and was set up to return as The Leader in a future movie before the credits rolled. However, Edward Norton’s departure and a tepid response to the release meant that his appearance hasn’t lead to anything as of yet.
Directed by Josh Trank, The Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller (Mister Fantastic), Kate Mara (The Invisible Woman), Michael B. Jordan (The Human Torch), Jamie Bell (The Thing) and Tobey Kebbell (Doctor Doom). It’s set to be released on June 19th, 2015.
