Brandon Sklenar Reportedly on Shortlist to Play Richard Rider/Nova in the MCU

Brandon Sklenar (It Ends with Us, Emily the Criminal) is expected to join the MCU soon.

On an episode of The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider and John Rocha discussed the news, with Sneider revealing that “Sklenar is reportedly on the shortlist to play Nova in the MCU.”

Marvel Studios is eyeing Sklenar for the role of Richard Rider in Marvel Television‘s Nova series, set to begin production in Q4 2025.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed Richard Rider will be the lead in the Nova series. Feige said, “It’s happening, it’s coming together. Richard Rider, yep.” He added, “It’s three or four years out.”

As we previously reported, Marvel reached out to Nova series writer Sabir Pirzada (Marvel’s Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel) for pitches, with Annihilus planned as the main villain. The studio also requested the story to have a “young and sexy” feel, drawing inspiration from 1980s military films.

Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds) will reportedly serve as showrunner, while Pirzada is set to write the series. Glenn Close will return to her MCU role as Nova Prime Irani Rael, while John C. Reilly will reprise his role as Rhomann Dey.

Here’s the plot synopsis for Nova:

In the wake of Annihilation, Nova, the Human Rocket, stands on the front lines of cosmic adventure as the last of the Nova Corps and our only hope against threats from the furthest reaches of the Marvel Universe!

Sklenar was recently seen in Justin Baldoni’s It Ends with Us, starring Blake Lively and Baldoni. His latest film, Green and Gold, directed by Anders Lindwall, is now playing in theaters. Up next, he stars in Christopher Landon’s Drop alongside Meghann Fahy, which is currently in post-production, and he is also filming Paul Feig’s The Housemaid alongside Sydney Sweeney.

Nova will premiere on Disney+, though a release date has not yet been announced.