Silver Surfer coming to the silver screen?

The Silver Surfer by Ron Lim

I realize the concept of a silver being flying through space on a silver surfboard sounds a little, well, cheesy. However, that didn’t prevent me from absolutely loving the Silver Surfer comic books as a kid, and even now, I still have a soft spot in my heart for the character. Looking back, what drew me to the character, even way back when, wasn’t his cool look or awesome powers (though he certainly did have those). What drew me was the nobility and inner conflict of the Surfer.

He’s an individual who had been given incredible powers and transformed into an amazing creature, but who had been party to the destruction of entire worlds. Because he knows his powers could’ve done so much good, he’s overwhelmed with guilt and shame, and so spends his existence trying to live a righteous, heroic life… only to be brought back down again and again by his foes. At times, the series devolved into your basic “space monster of the month” set-up, but throughout, the character of the Surfer himself always remained compelling, especially during the “Infinity Gems” saga.

A movie based on the comic book has been in the works for years now, but so far, all that exists is a fan film that came out several years back. However, this article indicates that a Silver Surfer movie is currently in “serious development,” and will be the next Marvel property tackled after the Fantastic Four movie comes out this summer.

To be honest, I’m a little torn about this. Part of me would love to see the movie happen simply because I love the character so much. However, I just don’t know how audiences would react to the whole notion of “a metallic being who travels through space on a sleek board”, from his creation by the planet-devouring Galactus to his incredible powers. However, folks who loved the themes of morality, power, and responsibility at work throughout the Spider-Man and X-Men movies would find oodles of stuff to chew on with the Surfer (if the character is handled right, that is).

And then there’s the technical aspect of portraying said metallic being flying through space on his surfboard. Obviously, CGI would be a major component, if not the major component in bringing the Surfer to life. But I just don’t know how good it would look, if it would capture the cosmic scope of the series.

Enjoy reading Opus? Want to support my writing? Become a subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year.
Subscribe Today
Return to the Opus homepage