The news broke yesterday that Julia Garner will play Silver Surfer in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four. However, the key distinction is that the Inventing Anna star is taking on the role of Shalla-Bal and not a female Norrin Radd.
With rumours swirling that the reboot takes place in a different reality, it makes sense for there to be some changes which can be brought more in line with the comic books when Marvel's First Family arrive on Earth-616.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Haunted Mansion star LaKeith Stanfield commented on Garner's casting by saying, "Thought it was going to be me but ig."
Some fans believe the actor is disappointed to have missed out on the role, while others are convinced he might have been passed over in preference of Garner as Shalla-Bal. Of course, there's a chance he is The Fantastic Four's Norrin Radd and inadvertently let the cat out of the bag with a tongue-in-cheek social media post.
As always, we'll have to wait and see.
He's not the only one to have missed out on starring in the 2025 movie, though, as Nicholas Galitzine has told Variety that he was indeed among those in contention to play The Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm/Human Torch.
Confirming he had "conversations" about the project with Marvel Studios before the role went to Joseph Quinn, the Mary & George star revealed that the Stranger Things star gave him a heads up before the announcement because they're real-life friends.
However, Galitzine had to reach out to his team when the internet speculation got too much. "I was like, 'Guys, I’m sure it’s not true, but I have to make certain it’s not true.' And they go, 'Yeah, it’s not true.'"
On Valentine's Day, Marvel Studios announced that Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will lead The Fantastic Four cast. Since then, Julia Garner has joined the reboot as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer.
Director Matt Shakman has worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four's screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) recently coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.