A former Veep star wants to portray a major X-Men character.
Sam Richardson, who will soon star in Amazon Prime’s The Tomorrow War with Chris Pratt, has stated he would love to portray Hank McCoy aka the Beast should the MCU reboot the X-Men movies.
Who is the Beast?
Hank McCoy was one of the original five X-Men, appearing in the comic’s first issue in 1963.
His mutation was being amazingly agile and strong with ape-like hands and feet capable of clinging to surfaces.
But Hank’s greatest weapon was his mind, as he was a brilliant scientist. He would often speak in educated tones while embarking on adventures with the X-Men.
After graduating, Hank worked at a lab but soon realized his bosses had sinister motives for his work. To keep a formula hidden, Hank drank it himself, which further mutated him with blue fur and enhanced strength.
At first upset, Hank soon embraced his new look with a more jovial personality. He had a long stint serving with the Avengers, where fans enjoyed his fun antics.
Eventually, Hank rejoined his X-Men teammates in X-Factor. He was injected with a serum that restored his human form but also robbed him of intellect the more he used his strength. He returned to his blue-furred form and soon back on the X-Men.
A later mutation transformed Hank into looking more like a cat. He also briefly brought the original X-Men from the past into the present, where the second Beast dabbled in magic.
The Beast on film
The Beast was played in X-Men The Last Stand by Kelsey Grammer. X-Men: First Class had Nicholas Hoult taking on the role, starting as the human Hank before mutating to his blue-furred form. Hoult reprised the role in the three sequel movies.
Right now, the X-Men movie rights are in flux since Disney bought Fox and thus could bring the X-Men into the MCU.
Speaking to Variety to promote his role in the coming Tomorrow War movie, Richardson said he would love to play the role. “I think Beast is like a big blue-haired Richard Splett.”
Richardson is referring to his political consultant character from the award-winning HBO comedy Veep. Like Hank, Richard is quite intelligent with a bright outlook on the world despite being in a dirty business.
A great running bit in the series is how, through pure luck and wild circumstances, Richard ended up rising from mayor of a small town to governor of Iowa and eventually President of the United States.
Richardson will be showing his action chops in the Tomorrow War. Intended for theaters, the film will debut on Amazon Prime in July. It focuses on Pratt among soldiers from the present recruited to defend Earth from an alien invasion 30 years in the future.
Richardson will also be joining the third season of the animated Harley Quinn series in a secret role.
Richardson may be an offbeat choice for Hank but would nail the humor and intellect of the character. His eagerness to take the role might catch the eye of Marvel casting for the sharp and funny Beast fans love.
The Tomorrow War premieres on Amazon Prime July 2.