Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot has been dominating headlines lately. Late last year, news broke that the company had hired writers for the project and since then, several reports have made the rounds about the film, including casting rumors. Now, there is a new rumor making the rounds and it’s about a potential hire for the Silver Surfer.
According to X user and notorious leak, @DanielRPK, Marvel is looking to cast Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of The Queen’s Gambit, as the ultra-powerful Silver Surfer. DanielRPK’s scoop comes barely two weeks after he reported that the studio has found the leader of the eponymous superhero group, Reed Richards, in Pedro Pascal – a revelation that contrasts with an earlier announcement that Adam Driver will play the character.
FANTASTIC FOUR update (female villain)https://t.co/afn0bQ9tNo
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) November 23, 2023
It also follows on the heels of the recent revelation that Marvel is in conversations with Mads Mikkelsen to star as Dr. Doom in the MCU. If the scoop is right, it means the character, who has mostly been portrayed by male actors, will be gender-swapped.
In the comics, the Silver Surfer is a humanoid alien who serves a planet-consuming cosmic entity named Galactus. In return for his loyalty, Galactus imbues the Silver Surfer with some of his power, giving him superhuman strength, endurance, super-healing, and the ability to see through time. It also gave him the ability to travel faster than light, among others.
Before Richtman’s update, Jeff Sneider, another insider, had revealed the production company was looking to hire a female actor to portray Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer has always been a male character, so the revelation surprised many fans.
However, when you consider Marvel’s efforts to have a more diverse villain roster, with Hela, Agatha, and Scarlet, some of the notable mentions, its decision to have a gender-swapped Silver Surfer becomes less surprising.
Should Taylor-Joy get the role, it will be the second time she’ll be starring in a superhero franchise. Her first appearance came in 2020 when she portrayed Ilyana Rasputin in the X-Men spinoff, The New Mutants. That film failed to impress critics and audiences, although her performance as Rasputin was one of its few bright spots, according to many people.
At the moment, Marvel Studios hasn’t confirmed Daniel’s report so it is recommended that fans take it with a dose of skepticism. However, it has been confirmed that Matt Shakman, who helmed WandaVision, will direct the film.
Apart from Taylor-Joy, Pascal, and Mikkelsen, other reports have revealed that Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are in conversations to play Sue Storm, the Human Torch, and the Thing respectively. Also, the studio is supposedly considering either Javier Bardem or Antonio Banderas for the role of Galactus.
The reboot is slated to begin production next year, although that might change in light of the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
However, if things proceed according to plan, Fantastic Four will arrive in theaters on May 2, 2025.
