Concept Art for Silver Surfer Rock Opera That Never Was

Silver Surfer 1980 concept art

The Marvel character Silver Surfer has a long history. His only on screen appearance is on Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). But back in 1980, Lee Kramer tried to make a movie out of the property. As a rock opera. With 1,000 electric guitars.

"I originally got turned onto the Silver Surfer in the 1960s when the character first appeared, but I wasn't in any way involved in this business at the time. Once I was in a position to negotiate for the comic's film rights, I jumped at the chance to get them." Lee Kramer told James Burns for the article “Cosmic Silver” Mediascene Prevue #42, Sept/Oct 1980.

"Stan Lee and I get along very well, but he's totally into the idea of doing the Silver Surfer as a rock opera. I don't think that the rock opera films ('Tommy,' 'Sgt. Pepper's') have worked too well; there's a need for dialogue to tie a movie together. Music, however, will play a very important part in the film. 

"We’re going to make an epic picture on the scope of 2001: A Space Odyssey with the kind of soundtrack that that film had, only using contemporary rock and roll. It’s even conceivable that the Surfer might have a chant or a fanfare made up of one thousand electric guitars…doing the Silver Surfer has always been a dream of mine, and now it’s going to be realized."

Unfortunately, his dream was never realized. Kramer even went so far as to try and get Sir Paul McCartney to do the score.

I have no idea it it would have been any good, but he went on to produce the rock opera Xanadu starring his then-girlfriend Olivia Newton-John.


'Nuff said.

This and other storiess will be featured in Sean Howe's upcoming book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, scheduled to be in bookstores on October 9th 2012.



via Movies

What do you think of the illustrations? Would Silver Surfer: The Rock Opera have been a hit?