Marvel's Fantastic Four reboot reportedly finds its Silver Surfer and it's a surprise for fans

Marvel’s highly-anticipated reboot of the Fantastic Four announced its primary cast back in February but the upcoming superhero film has reportedly added another key cast member and it’s a move that will surprise many superhero fans.

Ozark star Julia Garner will join the cast of Fantastic Four as the iconic Silver Surfer, according to a report from Deadline. Like the rest of the cast, Garner is a fast-rising star in Hollywood who got her start on TV, earning three Emmys for her work in Ozark as well as another nomination for the limited series Inventing Anna.

The gender-flip casting move will certainly come as a surprise to some but there’s plenty of precedent from Marvel Comics. Garner will reportedly play Shalla-Bal, a character who first appeared all the way back in 1968 and has donned the mantle of the Silver Surfer multiple times over the years various Marvel Comics stories.

Julia Garner to star as the Silver Surfer in Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour.

She'll play a Shalla-Bal version of the character in the movie.

via @Deadline pic.twitter.com/UrLLhsnxAH

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) April 3, 2024

Shalla-Bal is the love interest of Norin Radd, but she became a Silver Surfer herself on Earth-9997.

The Fantastic Four is not set in the MCU, and they rlly want to set that point across by using alternate universe elements like these. pic.twitter.com/Wqz1jtQyds

— Monkee D. Hernandy (@hernandy_s) April 3, 2024

The film is set to begin filming this summer for a summer 2025 release.