Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer Gets Doug Jones’ Approval: “It’s a Different Take”

The Silver Surfer has returned to movie screens, but this time, the character is not who longtime fans were expecting. Instead of the well-known Norrin Radd, Marvel Studios is introducing a different version of the character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In this reboot of the superhero team, the Surfer is now Shalla-Bal, and she’s played by Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner.

This version of the story is a major change from what we’ve seen before, and it’s already getting a lot of attention.

The movie brings in a completely new cast for Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Pedro Pascal plays Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby is the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn is the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is The Thing. For the first time, the team also includes baby Franklin Richards, who is part of the family in the comics but has never been in a movie before.

One of the biggest moments in the film is the return of two powerful cosmic characters — Galactus, the planet-devouring giant, and his loyal herald, the Silver Surfer. But instead of Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer is now Shalla-Bal, a character from the comics who has a close connection to Radd.

Julia Garner is best known for her role as Ruth in Ozark, where she won three Emmy Awards. She also played Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna. This year has been busy for her, with roles in the horror film Wolf Man and the upcoming thriller Weapons.

In the original comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Norrin Radd becomes the Silver Surfer to protect his home world, Zenn-La. He makes a deal with Galactus, offering to find other planets for the being to consume, in exchange for saving his own.

But when Radd reaches Earth, he meets a woman named Alicia Masters who changes his perspective. He ends up turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four stop him.

Shalla-Bal, in the comics, is the woman Norrin left behind. She stayed on Zenn-La while he traveled the galaxy. But in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel flips that idea. This time, it’s Shalla-Bal who becomes the Silver Surfer. There’s no word yet on whether Norrin Radd even appears in the film.

Doug Jones, the actor who played the Silver Surfer physically in the 2007 movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, recently spoke about the new version of the character. He said he’s excited to see what Garner does in the role.

“I love what I’ve seen … It’s a different take on the Surfer … And she does exist in the comic books as well. There’s source material to back her up. So I’m excited to see how they bring that to the film world,” Jones told reporters.

His reaction shows support for the change. He points out that Shalla-Bal isn’t a brand-new invention, she’s part of Marvel’s comic history. The filmmakers are just telling the story in a new way.

Marvel hasn’t explained much about why they chose to go with Shalla-Bal instead of Norrin Radd, but it’s clear they’re trying something different. And with an actress like Julia Garner taking on the role, this version of the Silver Surfer could end up being something special.

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