Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four Reboot adds Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer

On April 3, Deadline revealed that the multi-Emmy award winner Julia Garner(Ozark, Inventing Anna) has officially joined the cast of Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four as the Sliver Surfer character Shalla-Bal. The project is set to kick off production this summer in London. 

The trade also reported that no additional plot details for this film have been publicly released. However, according to sources, it is confirmed that Garner will play Shalla-Bal, a version of Silver Surfer from the comics. 

Now, I need to address this: the character of Shalla-Bal is not a gender-bended version of the first Silver Surfer Norrin Radd. Many know that Radd is the herald of the Marvel villain and intergalactic threat Galactus, who has appeared in countless forms of media, from comic books, animation, video games, and movies.

For those who don’t know, Shalla-Bal does hold a place in the lore and continuity of Marvel comics. Bal was the Empress of the planet Zenn-La along with Norrin Radd's first love. When Galactus came to devour their planet, Radd volunteered to become his herald in exchange for sparing Zenn-La. 

Featured below is a clip from the Marvel series showing both Norrin Radd and Shalla-Bal's animation debut in the 1998 Marvel Silver Surfer series, as actress Camilla Scott voiced the character. 

Garner joins a perfectly crafted ensemble comprised and led by Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic; Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing. 

One thing to remember and breathe easy is that Kevin Feige has confirmed that this latest incarnation of Marvel’s first family will not be a reboot, so that's a good thing to feel confident about.

Director Matt Shakman leads the production. He is best known for his prior work with Marvel on Wandavision and the hit Apple+ series Moncharch: Legacy of Monsters. Shakman will direct a script from scribes Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Eric Pearson, and Ian Springer. 

Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four is slated to release on July 25th, 2025.