Paul Mescal’s rise in Hollywood has been unparalleled ever since his first trip to the big screens. After delivering stellar performances that each rival the last, the Aftersun actor now aims toward bigger and better things, including Tom Cruise’s $1.8 billion franchise that witnessed its long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
However, fans elsewhere have been getting exhilarated by the prospect of hosting Mescal on the roster of Marvel’s Fantastic Four main cast. The live-action film adaptations of the same only existed outside the MCU despite the Four being one of the foremost superhero teams of the comic book franchise.
Paul Mescal Gets Nominated For the Role of Human Torch
It’s no wonder that the superhero industry has been flourishing with irretrievable efficiency considering how the CBM franchises have been casting impressive actors in heroic roles to bring more than just attention-grabbing action and entertainment to the audience. The story building and arcs of these characters become substantially rooted in complex metaphors for bravery, trust, love, and camaraderie and as such have become a favorite of a billion fans across the world.
However, the repetitive stories of the CBM IPs make them somewhat less intriguing for actors who would rather prefer originality in plot and narrative over superheroes fighting supervillains. Paul Mescal is no different. First rising to prominence by starring alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People, the exponential rise of the star from a debutant to an Oscar-nominated Best Actor in 2 years made him a perfect candidate for every filmmaker out there. And the fans of Marvel follow closely behind in pitching his name for the role of Johnny Storm aka Human Torch in MCU’s Phase Six film, Fantastic Four.
On a somewhat similar note, Star Wars actor John Boyega had a different take on why he was not interested in joining the billion-dollar big-budget club aka Marvel and DC, when rumors indicated he might be up for a coveted role in the upcoming saga: “I want to do nuanced things. I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas because I know it’s really hard to top Iron Man in that universe.”
While Iron Man remains an inimitable icon in MCU, DCU’s upcoming Lanterns series is in need of an actor for the coveted role of John Stewart and Boyega is the perfect candidate for the epic universe that James Gunn has planned out for the rebooted universe.
Tom Cruise’s $1.8B Film Steals A Potential MCU Candidate
Despite the immensely excited Marvel fandom, the Irish actor could hardly care any less about joining the band. Speaking to People Magazine, Mescal claimed: “If I get to keep making indie films for the rest of my life, I’ll be a happy man. Something like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ would be more interesting to me. I love that movie.” It is not a surprising statement coming from an actor who has displayed an impressive knack for going for roles that are each more original ad diverse in its complexity than the next thus allowing the actor to display an incredible range of mastery over the craft.
Elsewhere, Tom Cruise‘s billion-dollar industry has garnered increasing praise from every angle and source inside Hollywood, ranging from Steven Spielberg to Quentin Tarantino to John Boyega. While the former claimed Cruise “saved Hollywood’s a**” with his film, QT was even more smitten by it saying it was a “true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I’d almost thought that I wasn’t going to see anymore.” In the meanwhile, Tom Cruise looks nowhere ready to get into the cockpit of an F-18 and finish Top Gun‘s story with a trilogy ending. If the franchise is to proceed into the future, it will be with a new generation of younger actors and aviators.
Top Gun: Maverick is currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
Source: People
