Why A Silver Surfer Movie Is Still A Great Idea And What It Could Be About, According To Adam McKay
The Silver Surfer is one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel universe, having endeared himself to comic book fans through his tragic backstory and later heroic endeavors. With this in mind, it’s kind of surprising that the character has only been seen on the big screen once in his nearly 50-year history. Though if director Adam McKay had his way, the Surfer would have his own solo film, and the director has keen thoughts on why such a movie would be a great idea.
Adam McKay, known for his work on films like Anchorman, Step Brothers and The Big Short, expressed interest in working with Marvel Studios on a Silver Surfer movie, after serving as a co-writer on 2015’s Ant-Man. While McKay was passionate about the proposed movie, nothing ever materialized and, when he was recently asked his thoughts on the project, he provided some insight into why it did not come to be:
So it sounds like Adam McKay did indeed take steps to develop the film but, as is the case in Hollywood, the pieces just couldn’t come together for it to take off. Still, the director has plenty of interest in the project. As McKay explained on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Marvel stories can serve as allegories to relevant topics in our own society, and he thinks the Silver Surfer, through his origin story, can tackle one subject in particular:
When you think about it, Silver Surfer really does fit the mold of an environmental story. As the herald of Galactus, he’s meant to examine the state of a planet, before its consumption by his master, so there is room for a bit of commentary.
Whether or not Silver Surfer finds his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point remains to be seen. But there is potential for him, especially since Marvel is currently developing a Fantastic Four film. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige previously expressed a willingness to meet with McKay about the Silver Surfer, so maybe the director could eventually find his way back to the MCU after all. Only time will tell but, when it comes to Marvel, just about anything is possible at this point.
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Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.