Marvel Wants An Oppenheimer Star As Doctor Doom (Not Cillian Murphy)

Josh Hartnett started acting professionally in the late 1990s, and it didn't take him long to find fame, because he starred in Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" and Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" before he'd worked in the business for even five years. His other notable credits, aside from "Oppenheimer," include "30 Days of Night" and "Lucky Number Slevin," both of which saw him in starring roles, as well. It was all that fame all at once that apparently led to some public pushback against Hartnett. During a 2020 interview with The Guardian, he said, "People got a chip on their shoulder about me after that. They genuinely thought I'd been thrust on them. It was a very weird time."

Whether or not Marvel is really offering Hartnett the role of Doctor Victor Von Doom, it might not be the sort of thing he would want to do. In that same interview with The Guardian, Hartnett confessed that he almost turned down "Pearl Harbor" because he didn't want to become a public figure. He went on to say that he's grateful that he took the role but that his fears came true, nonetheless. He was thrust into the spotlight, and people noticed.

The Fantastic Four are a big deal in Marvel Comics. There's a reason why so many fans are keen to follow casting rumors, and a large facet of that popularity stems from Doctor Doom's importance. It's not unfair to say that he's one of Marvel's greatest villains. If Giant Freakin Robot is on the money with the reporting, here, then Hartnett's currently facing the same question he faced with "Pearl Harbor." But this time, he might respond differently.