Earlier this week, we reported that Tim Blake Nelson has been cast as Harvey Elder, a.k.a. Mole Man in 20th Century Fox's The Fantastic Four reboot, which starts production very soon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The actor recently spoke with Tulsa World, where he confirmed that his deal is nearly finalized.

"Yes, it's pretty much closed, with me playing Harvey Elder, who becomes the Mole Man."

Our previous report revealed that Harvey Elder won't turn into the Mole Man right away, with his transformation being saved for future sequels. His journey begins as a bizarre scientist in The Fantastic Four, although this isn't the first time he's played a scientist that originates in the Marvel comic book universe. He portrayed Samuel Sterns in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, a character who eventually becomes The Leader in the comic books, but his transformation into that villain was not shown. When asked about returning to the Marvel universe, the Tulsa native had this to say.

"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."

While he wouldn't go into specifics regarding the plot, the actor revealed that the screenplay has as much heart as it does action.

"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 a blast making it."