Marvel's Fantastic Four film casts Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal

Sources have told Deadline that Julia Garner has been cast in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four film. Garner is renowned for her Emmy-winning role in Ozark and her portrayal of Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna. For Fantastic Four, she has been cast as Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer.

Notably, Stan Lee and John Buscema originally created Shalla-Bal. In the comics, she's the Empress of the planet Zenn-La and the love interest of Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer.

---

Fantastic Four (2025): How are Shalla-Bal's and Silver Surfer's storylines interconnected?

A still of Silver Surfer. (Image via Marvel)

As mentioned earlier, Shalla-Bal is closely associated with the Silver Surfer. She is depicted as the greatest love from his home planet, Zenn-La.

Moreover, Shalla-Bal plays a significant role in the Silver Surfer's backstory. That's because her love and their separation are central to his transformation into the Silver Surfer by Galactus.

It's worth noting that in the original Silver Surfer story, Norrin Radd sacrifices his freedom to become the herald of Galactus, a cosmic entity. Surfer did so to save his planet and his beloved, Shalla-Bal.

As the Silver Surfer, he roams the cosmos, searching for planets for Galactus to consume. However, he's also deeply tormented by his separation from Shalla-Bal and his role in destroying worlds.

In another turn of events, Galactus banishes Norrin to Earth. Mephisto brainwashes Shalla-Bal, making her think that she's a human from Latveria. Meanwhile, Galactus starts destroying Zenn-La. Norrin shares his Power Cosmic with Shalla-Bal to save their planet.

As a cosmic ruler, Shalla-Bal sometimes reunites with or gets rescued by Norrin. In the 2000 Earth X storyline, she and Norrin receive the Power Cosmic. They become twin heralds for the new Galactus, Franklin Richards. Sadly, Shalla-Bal dies soon after in the same issue.

---

All we know about the Fantastic Four movie

A poster Fantastic Four. (Image via Instagram/@fantasticfour)

The upcoming Fantastic Four movie in the MCU doesn't have an official synopsis yet. However, it's expected to differ from typical origin stories, given that the characters have already appeared in the MCU in Doctor Strange 2 and What If...?.

Furthermore, director Matt Shakman has reportedly indicated a unique approach to the story and filmmaking, hinting at something unprecedented in the MCU.

The confirmed cast for the 2025 release of Fantastic Four includes Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic, Joseph Quinn as The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing. The film will feature HERBIE, a robot, and Galactus, but the actor for Galactus hasn't been announced.

---

A look into Julia Garner's multi-faceted career

Julia Garner has garnered critical acclaim for her versatile acting skills in various notable roles. Some of her notable works include:

1. Ozark (2017–2022): Garner played the role of Ruth Langmore in this Netflix crime drama series. Notably, this role earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
2. The Americans (2015–2018): She appeared in a recurring role in this FX period spy-thriller series.
3. Maniac (2018): In this Netflix miniseries, Garner played, Ellie, the sister of Emma Stone's character.
4. Dirty John (2018–2019): In this Bravo true crime anthology series, Garner starred as Terra Newell.
5. The Assistant (2019): In this independent drama film, Julia plays a production assistant in a toxic work environment.
6. Inventing Anna (2022): In this Netflix miniseries, Garner took on the role of real-life con artist Anna Delvey.
7. The Royal Hotel (2023): In this movie, Garner plays the role of Hanna, who is barely more responsible than her bestie, Liv.

---

As announced by Marvel, Fantastic Four is slated to release on July 25, 2025.