With Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” leading quartet of heroes cast, Marvel Studios is moving on to some of the adversaries and supporting characters who will appear in the film. The first of them will be Shalla-Bal, a female version of the Silver Surfer. She’ll be played by Emmy-winning “Ozark” actress Julia Garner, according to Deadline.
Shalla-Bal is generally known as one of Galactus’ heralds, so that gigantic, planet-killing villain surely won’t be far behind (for months, rumors have pointed to either Javier Bardem or Antonio Banderas in the role, but so far, nothing’s been remotely official). Shalla-Bal is also, in the comics, the lover of the regular Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd, so it’s possible he might not be far behind either (though maybe saved for the sequel?). The Silver Surfer is generally a frenemy, a foe at first, then a friend, so Shalla-Bal could potentially play a similar part.
“Fantastic Four” is being directed by Matt Shakman, known for directing Marvel’s “WandaVision,” and Legacy’s “Monarch” Monsterverse series. In February of this year, on Valentine’s Day, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were cast as the fantastic heroes Reed Richard, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing, respectively.
Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Eric Pearson, and Ian Springer are among those who have written the script. “The Fantastic Four” is scheduled for July 25, 2025, and production is set to begin later this summer after Pascal finishes up his Ari Aster movie, “Eddington.”
Madonna handpicked Garner to play her in a Material Girl biopic, but the film fell apart at the eleventh hour. She also won three Emmys for playing Ruth on Netflix’s crime series, “Ozark.” The actress also landed an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Anna Delvey on the limited series “Inventing Anna.”
Original “The Fantastic Four” Marvel art teased a 1960s setting, but it’s unclear if the movie takes place within the current Marvel timeline or somewhere else within the multiverse. Rumors way back when reported that the team was lost in the Quantum realm featured in the “Ant-Man” movies, which would explain their absence from Marvel’s current timeline, but that speculation may be far out of date by now.
