Though development on the film has been ongoing for some time, director Josh Trank (Chronicle) and 20th Century Fox are finally ready to move forward on the reboot The Fantastic Four, as we've learned the pic is poised to go in front of cameras on Monday, May 5th.  The principal cast is set with Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Michael B. Jordan as Human Torch, Jamie Bell as The Thing, and Toby Kebbell as the villainous Dr. Doom, but just a couple of days ago we learned of another exciting addition to the ensemble: Tim Blake Nelson as Harvey Elder aka Mole Man.

Nelson recently spoke a bit about his second go-around at a Marvel superhero adaptation (he played Samuel Sterns in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, but never got to make the transformation into The Leader), noting that the script for The Fantastic Four is heavy on heart in addition to action.  Read on after the jump.

While speaking with the Tulsa World (Nelson is a native Tulsan), the actor confirmed his involvement in The Fantastic Four as Harvey Elder saying “it’s pretty much closed,” and expressed his enthusiasm at being added to the cast:

"I absolutely loved working on Hulk and feel extremely blessed that Marvel, Fox, and especially (Fantastic Four director) Josh Trank and his team have invited me back into the universe. The script is excellent. It has real heart, and it shows a true understanding of what it is to be a burgeoning adult geeked out to the margins."

Though the initial casting report notes that Elder will not become the Mole Man in this first Fantastic Four film, there’s absolutely the possibility that Nelson could have a larger role in the follow-up.

The actor was tight-lipped about the project, but he did reveal that the script doesn’t forsake emotional weight for set pieces:

"Without going into detail, the script has as much soul as it does action, and it has a lot of action. We're all going to have blast making it."

Filming in New Orleans is expected to last until August, and The Fantastic Four is due out in theaters on June 19, 2015.

fantastic-four-reboot