After a couple of months of silence following the announcement of the cast and release date of The Fantastic Four, the movie has finally received a new casting update. The Ozark and Inventing Anna star Julia Garner has now joined the reboot as Shalla-Bal, the female version of Silver Surfer from Marvel Comics. As movie-only fans may not be familiar with this character, get to know more about Shalla-Bal and her connection to Silver Surfer.
Deadline broke the news about Garner joining the cast of The Fantastic Four alongside Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (the Thing). Though Marvel Studios has yet to comment on this new casting update, it looks like it has set its eye on featuring one of the fastest-rising stars of today to play the Shall-Bal version of Silver Surfer.
Who is Shalla-Bal in Marvel Comics?
Shalla-Bal was introduced in Silver Surfer #1 (May 1968), created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, as the Empress of Zenn-La, a utopian planet created by Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer. The two first met after the death of his mother, Elmar Radd. However, as she developed feelings for him, Norrin ignored it and focused on his work. After receiving the Power Cosmic, he even left her and became the Silver Surfer so that Galactus would spare Zenn-La from consuming the planet.
Shalla-Bal continuously loves Norrin even if she gets cloned, manipulated by Mephisto, and briefly killed. At the time, Norrin gave her a part of the Power Cosmic to help save Zenn-La from Galactus’ wrath. Sadly, the two didn’t end up together due to their duties. Since then, Shalla-Bal has become a major part of Silver Surfer’s stories and Marvel Comics.
Did Shalla-Bal become Silver Surfer in Marvel Comics?
Shalla-Ball is mostly seen as a humanoid alien ruler in the main Marvel canon. However, she has become the second Silver Surfer in the alternate continuity of Earth X and Universe X. Both served as the twin heralds of a new Galactus, Franklin Richards, after receiving the Power Cosmic. However, Shalla-Ball died after.
Before her appearance in The Fantastic Four, Shalla-Bal became a part of the 1998 Silver Surfer animated series. At the time, she was voiced by Camilla Scott. Hence, this will be the first time she will be seen in live action.
What is The Fantastic Four about?
Marvel Studios has yet to reveal the plot details for The Fantastic Four. But based on its artwork revealed in February 2024, it might be set in the 1960s, the same decade the superhero group was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics. It will be directed by the WandaVision helmer Matt Shakman, with a script by Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, and Eric Pearson.
Talking about the reboot, Shakman told Collider in an interview in October 2023 that it would be “different in so many ways.” But as its details remain under wraps, he can’t give the specifics or even say more. But if there’s one thing he can reveal, he teased it’s something that fans have never seen before.
But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before.
The Fantastic Four is set to hit the big screens on July 25, 2025. It looks like the Marvel reboot will feature some of today's famous stars, from Pascal to Quinn to Garner; thus, more well-known actors may join the film. That said, fans must wait for who will play the movie's villain.
