When is a Marvel hiring also a purpose pitch?
I’ll provide the answer in the latest MarvelBlog News update!
The Silver Surfer Casting
Source: Marvel
Roughly nine months ago, rumors reached a crescendo about the impending arrival of the Silver Surfer in the MCU.
At the time, the belief was that a familiar face from Hulu’s The Bear would portray the character.
Source: Marvel
Specifically, many simultaneous rumors suggested that Ebon Moss-Bachrach was the leader in the clubhouse.
That’s a telling statement about how much of an echo chamber Marvel rumors often are.
Source: Marvel
Somebody hears something – or makes something up – and then a bunch of other people hear it/report it.
However, this particular rumor had some teeth to it, albeit not in the way you’d expect.
Source: Marvel
Marvel proved extremely interested in Moss-Bachrach, just not for the role of the Silver Surfer.
Marvel hired him to voice (and possibly play?) The Thing, the visually memorable, gruff member of the Fantastic Four.
Source: Marvel
However, I doubt that Moss-Bachrach was ever up for the Silver Surfer because Marvel just cast someone else.
Along the way, the studio revealed the details for the character, and it doesn’t strike me as a fit for Richie from The Bear.
Source: Marvel
Specifically, Fantastic Four’s story will include the character of Shalla-Bal rather than (or in addition to?) Norrid Radd.
We saw Radd in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, where he seemingly died while aiding the team against Galactus.
Comic Vine
However, a mid-credits scene indicated that the Silver Surfer survived, setting up a sequel story that never came.
The mediocre box office of Fantastic Four 2 led to an eventual franchise reboot that…well, totally bombed.
Image: Marvel
But the inclusion of Shalla-Bal in the MCU version of the film is fascinating.
About Shalla-Bal and the Weird Marvel Drama
Image: Marvel
In the comics, this character is the immortal empress of Zenn-La and also the lover of Radd.
Once Galactus threatens Zenn-La, Radd agrees to become its herald in exchange for the planet-eater not destroying his home world.
Image: Marvel
Eventually, Radd and Zenn-La join forces as heralds for a second Galactus – old comic book stories are wild, y’all – reuniting the lovers.
That’s an alternate-reality version of what happened, but it’s the story we may learn of Shalla-Bal.
Image: Marvel
We have no way to know yet whether Norrid Zadd will be a part of it, though.
But you shouldn’t miss the palace intrigue that led to this casting.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
The Walt Disney Company, the corporate owner of Marvel, just staved off an activist investor named Nelson Peltz.
In a weirdly soap-operatic turn of events, Peltz controlled Isaac Perlmutter’s shares of Disney stock.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios
Disney CEO Bob Iger infamously fired Perlmutter from Marvel last year, theoretically ending a longstanding internal problem.
Marvel staff members despised Perlmutter to the point that they loudly cheered when learning of his firing.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
In recent weeks, Peltz has acted as Perlmutter’s mouthpiece while pressing Disney and Marvel on several issues.
The most stunning turn of events occurred when Peltz performed an interview with The Financial Times.
Source: Marvel Comics/Sideshow Collectibles
In that discussion, Peltz wondered why Marvel was creating all-black films like Black Panther and all-female films like Captain Marvel.
Source: Marvel Studios
The first is that Black Panther doesn’t include an all-black cast nor does Captain Marvel feature an all-female cast.
Some people wondered whether Peltz had even seen either of those films.
Photo: Disney/Marvel
There are two readily apparent responses to those thinly veiled dog whistle criticisms.
Photo: Marvel
Second, those two movies earned a combined box office of $2.5 billion. They were massive blockbusters.
Marvel made those movies to earn a lot of money. Duh.
The Silver Surfer and the Purpose Pitch
Triple-A Baseball Heroes. Photo: Bizarre Baseball Continuum
In baseball, there’s a term called the purpose pitch. It refers to when a pitcher throws at a hitter just to intimidate the opponent.
You often throw a purpose pitch when you’re making a point.
Image: Marvel
Marvel and Disney just threw a purpose pitch at Nelson Peltz and Isaac Perlmutter by choosing a female Silver Surfer.
On the same day that Warner Bros. Discovery hired a man to direct a female superheroine film, Supergirl, Marvel did this.
Image: Tiffany Nicholson via Deadline
Of course, since we’re talking about Marvel, it’s also one of the best actresses in the business today.
Julia Garner of Ozark will portray Shalla-Bal. Garner has won three Emmy Awards and is the reigning Golden Globe winner.
Source: Marvel
Garner isn’t new to comic book movies either, having portrayed Marcie in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
So, the cast of Fantastic Four includes some of the most lauded performers from The Bear, Ozark, The Mandalorian, and Stranger Things.
Source: Marvel
If this movie fails, it won’t be because of the talent involved.
Meanwhile, Perlmutter, the dude who turned Marvel into a heavyweight, is left stewing as he thinks about this turn of events.
Image: Marvel
Marvel just weaponized his dislike of movies featuring strong female characters and used it against him to rub salt in the wound.
Marvel Miscellany
Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. Photo: Reddit
We’ve got three other, less grudge-y stories to cover this week.
The first is that director Sam Raimi splashed cold water on the idea of him helming Spider-Man 4.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Don’t get me wrong. The director isn’t opposed to the idea in the least; he sounds like he’s hoping it happens.
However, neither Sony nor Marvel has approached him with an offer. Yet. Stay tuned!
Source: Marvel
In Daredevil: Born Again news, Deadline refers to the show as “the two-season series.”
That’s…news to everyone. Marvel had openly discussed an 18-episode first season.
Source: Marvel
Based on this update, I don’t know whether Marvel split those 18 episodes into two seasons or the show already received a renewal.
Were I guessing, I’d expect a ten-episode and eight-episode season, but that’s pure conjecture on my part.
Source: Marvel
Finally, Production Weekly has updated with some tantalizing Marvel tidbits.
According to the principal photography tracker, the Shang-Chi sequel will film in March 2025, with X-Men starting later next year.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Blade also remains on track for filming at the end of 2024, but we’ve just learned that Vision Quest may join it.
Armor Wars is still scheduled for 2025 as well. So, those five projects aren’t just happening but will enter production over the next 18 months.
Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Featured image: Marvel
