Who Plays The Silver Surfer? The 2 Stars Behind The Herald Of Galactus (So Far)
While fans await casting news for Marvel's Fantastic Four reboot, there seems to be uncertainty about whether the Silver Surfer will be among the characters featured alongside Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing.
Originally featured in the Marvel Comics, the Silver Surfer appears in the 2007 "Fantastic Four" sequel, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" — where two actors worked to bring the legendary character to life.
Doug Jones, who plays the physical embodiment of the Silver Surfer in the film, is primarily known for his work with writer-director Guillermo del Toro. In addition to playing the humanoid amphibian Abe Sapien in del Toro's Hellboy films — as well as the Angel of Death and Chamberlain in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" — the prolific actor played the Fawn and Pale Man creatures in the filmmaker's fantasy horror film "Pan's Labyrinth." Additionally, Jones starred as the Amphibian Man in del Toro's Oscar-winning fantasy drama romance "The Shape of Water."
Although Jones' scenes in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" appeared to be a CGI creation, the actor cleared up any misconceptions in a 2021 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Accompanied by a behind-the-scenes photo of the actor in his Silver Surfer costume with Invisible Woman actor Jessica Alba, Jones wrote: "If you thought my Silver Surfer character from FANTASTIC 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer was all CGI, this behind-the-scenes photo from our shoot 15 years ago proves otherwise. CGI enhancements added in post-production."
Laurence Fishburne voiced the Silver Surfer in the 2007 Marvel film
For the voice of the Herald of Galactus in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," director Tim Story cast Oscar-nominated actor Laurence Fishburne. And while Fishburne — whose distinguished list of credits before the film's 2007 release included roles in "Boyz n the Hood," "What's Love Got to Do with It," and the first three films in the Matrix series — clearly had enough experience to step into the voice role, the move ultimately disappointed Doug Jones.
"This is a painful issue for me," Jones told Rotten Tomatoes in 2007. "For any actor, it would be. No actor wants to see a portion of their performance taken away, myself included, especially when I really like the sound of the Surfer that I gave. A lot of people involved with the film told me that they got goosebumps and chills when I would talk as the Silver Surfer, so I am sorry to see that go."
However, Jones praised his fellow Silver Surfer actor's performance in the interview, noting, "I also want to say Laurence Fishburne is a fantastic actor. You could do worse, and I'm very honored to be billed alongside of him."
Whether the Silver Surfer will make a big-screen comeback in the Fantastic Four reboot is yet to be seen since a recent MCU rumor claims the Silver Surfer will not be the Herald of Galactus. That could mean a different herald for the planet-consuming character could be used, like the female powerhouse Nova. Or, if a rumor Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider shared on "The Hot Mic" podcast proves true, director Matt Shakman will gender-swap the Silver Surfer and make the character female instead.