Summary

• Paul Walter Hauser has recently landed roles in a Naked Gun reboot opposite Liam Neeson and the Fantastic Four film, and opened up about his Marvel casting.
• The actor is set to play Captain Ed in the Naked Gun reboot and a yet undisclosed role in the MCU's Fantastic Four.
• Hauser's career seems to be on an upward trajectory with multiple high-profile projects in the works.

It's a very good time to be Paul Walter Hauser. The actor, who won an Emmy, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globe Award for his role as serial killer Larry Hall in Apple's limited series Black Bird, has landed roles in two high-profile releases that will see him pairing with Liam Neeson, and joining a "fantastic" Marvel movie. Additionally, his upcoming role as Chris Farley in a new biopic has now landed at New Line. He broke his silence about his casting in The Fantastic Four, telling Screenrant:

"All I can say is that I, in some iteration, am in the movie The Fantastic Four until I get fired or recast. So I can't say anything about the character I'm playing, but know that it is in the sort of lexicon and mythology of The Fantastic Four stories. And it's a very distinct character that I'm excited to play, and I'm kind of mapping out what I'm doing with that right now."

"But I've always wanted to be a part of a cinematic universe," added Hauser. "I spent a lot of time trying to campaign to play the Penguin in the Matt Reeves film, and that, of course, went to Colin Farrell, and he did a masterful job and it was totally different than what I was trying to do. So I really appreciate Marvel giving me the time of day and entrusting a role to me in some capacity that I get to be a part of that family. I'm really excited to partake in."

The Fantastic Four, which will introduce the team into the MCU, will also star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. It was recently announced that Julia Garner also joined the cast as Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four is set to be directed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer. It has been reported that WandaVision writer Peter Cameron has also done some work on the script. Production on the highly-anticipated superhero film is expected to begin this summer with the film scheduled to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.

Paul Walter Hauser Joins The Naked Gun & Will Play Chris Farley in New Biopic

And that's not all. Per Deadline, Hauser has officially signed on to join the Naked Gun reboot opposite Neeson. The actor will be taking on the role of Captain Ed, played by George Kennedy in the original Naked Gun films and the Police Squad! TV series that inspired the movies. In addition to Neeson, who will be leading the reboot, Hauser also joins Pamela Anderson in the Paramount Pictures release. The original Naked Gun movies followed the hilarious misadventures of bumbling police detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen). Across three films, the Naked Gun franchise has grossed $216 million at the worldwide box office.

The reboot is set to be directed by Akiva Schaffer, who is also executive producing the comedy from a screenplay by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, with Schaffer himself also doing a run on the script. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are also producing via their Fuzzy Door banner, alongside Daniel M. Stillman, who is on board as an executive producer. The Naked Gun reboot is scheduled for release on July 18, 2025.The actor will also be playing Chris Farley in a Josh Gad-directed biopic that was recently picked up by New Line. Announced earlier this month, the movie is now moving ahead with the studio, as well as the involvement of SNL's Lorne Michaels.

It's pretty safe to say that Hauser is having a bit of a moment right now. Following his awards season rush for his role on Apple TV+'s Black Bird, he remained with the Apple family, having appeared in the second season of their comedy, The Afterparty. He'll next be heard voicing Embarrassment in Inside Out 2 and his other upcoming projects include Americana, opposite Sydney Sweeney, and Doug Liman's Apple Original Film, The Instigators, opposite Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.