Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic? Javier Bardem as Galactus? You thought those Fantastic Four casting reports were crazy. Try this one on for size: Anya Taylor-Joy as Silver Surfer.
OK, let’s establish some context. Insider Daniel “RPK” Richtman has shared that Taylor-Joy is being eyed by Marvel Studios to play a female villain role in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. Although the scooper doesn’t necessarily specify which part she’s allegedly up for, this news comes just days after it was widely rumored that Silver Surfer will be reimagined as female in director Matt Shakman’s film. To paraphrase the teacher from The Incredibles, coincidence? We think not.
Again, there’s lots of conjecture going on here, but Richtman did accurately spill the Pascal casting before that was reported by Deadline, so there is a high chance Taylor-Joy is close to signing on for Fantastic Four. And, now that it’s out there, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing a female Silver Surfer but her. If this is really what we’re heading for, then, it sounds like Marvel is wasting no time in fixing one of the most egregious sins of Fox’s X-Men franchise.
We only just got our first trip to the X-Men universe in The Marvels‘ post-credits scene, and mere weeks after that film’s release we may be receiving news that finally undoes an injustice done to Anya Taylor-Joy in The New Mutants. If you recall, the YA-themed spinoff was the last ever entry in the Fox franchise and remains the lowest-grossing Marvel movie of the 2020s (yes, even lower than Morbius). The Queen Gambit‘s actress had the misfortune of starring in it, as Illyana Rasputin/Magik.
Taylor-Joy was perfect casting as Magik, no doubt, but it was criminal that Fox wasted such a star in a dead-end, one-and-done like The New Mutants. If she really is our surprise Silver Surfer, however, then she would no doubt stick around the MCU for a long while yet and finally have a Marvel role that utilizes her talent to full effect.
Or, who knows, maybe a lot of wires have been crossed and she’s Sue Storm. That would be cool too.
