The Silver Surfer is one of Marvel's most inherently alien figures, making his eventual humanity an all-the-more-impressive piece of character development. Introduced as the Herald of the planet-consuming Galactus in Fantastic Four #48 (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), the Surfer's decision to fight for Earth saved the planet and led him to finally escape Galactus' side to chart his own path through the cosmos. Since then, he's become a fan-favorite character, often regarded as one of Marvel's single most powerful beings.
The massive scope associated with the character naturally makes him a tricky one to bring to life in film -- which hasn't stopped filmmakers from attempting just that. But one of the wildest ways the Silver Surfer almost came to the big screen was decades before the inaugural entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- with a film that could have included a Paul McCartney soundtrack.
The Silver Surfer Movie That Was Almost Made
As explained by Men's Health in a retrospective on the proposed film, the Silver Surfer had been in the comics for about a decade when Lee Kramer -- a film producer often associated with his on-again-off-again romantic partner Olivia Newton-John -- approached Stan Lee about adapting the Silver Surfer for the big screen. Kramer's vision would have been a rock opera, focusing on the Surfer and his journeys in the universe. But with the film rights to the Fantastic Four unavailable at the time, Kramer instead suggested that a new take on the character be produced that could be adapted into a movie. As explained by CBR's Brian Cronin, the proposal led to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's final professional collaboration on The Silver Surfer.
Nominally set in its own continuity, the story reimagines the Surfer's character development minus the involvement of the Fantastic Four -- focusing instead on his protective feelings for Earth and his burgeoning love for the beautiful Ardina (secretly created by Galactus to test the Surfer). Ardina would have likely been played by Newton-John, while Kramer suggested bodybuilder Frank Zane to play the Surfer. As explained by Kramer (and reported on in 2007 by CBR), the project would have been a huge musical spectacle, with contemporary music of the time serving as the movie's soundtrack. One notable artist approached about the project was Paul McCartney, one of music's biggest rock stars at the time -- and according to Marvel: The Untold Story by Sean Howe, he was actually intrigued by the idea. But when financing fell through, the project was ultimately scrapped -- with Newton-John instead starring in the Kramer-produced sci-fi musical Xanadu in 1980.
Why Paul McCartney Made Sense for a Silver Surfer Rock Opera
From Kramer's perspective, McCartney may have made a lot of sense as an artist to approach about a Marvel collaboration. McCartney was an avid comic book fan himself, even composing songs like "Magneto and the Titanium Man" while a member of The Wings. McCartney's status as one of his era's most iconic musicians would have made him an ideal get for the project, immediately drawing attention to the film. Given McCartney's experimental but enduring discography, he could have likely provided a lot of different tones and tenors to the experience. McCartney even had plenty of experience working in the world of film, with Beatles movies like Help! and Yellow Submarine already having been released by this point. It isn't even the first time the former Beatle would have been attached to an iconic fantasy series, as the entire band almost starred in an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
In retrospect, McCartney might have been perfectly suited for the project, given the grandiose direction he took his music with The Wings. But even now, a superhero musical is something of a wild proposition. It's worked before -- like with Batman: The Brave and the Bold's Season 1 episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" and it might have an impact on the upcoming sequel to The Joker. But the Silver Surfer's grandiose cosmic opera would have transformed the cinematic landscape for superheroes -- and highlighted their tonal flexibility long before the MCU began fusing their characters with other genre conventions. The Paul McCartney Silver Surfer remains one of the great "what if" stories in the history of comics adaptations while also serving as the capstone of one of comics' most important collaborations.