Frank Zane Almost Played The Silver Surfer

The conventional wisdom regarding Frank Zane playing the Silver Surfer is that it almost happened. At least that’s what’s being reported. Have you seen Zane’s guest appearance on the television show Hart to Hart(1981)? It does bring into question the likelihood of Frank Zane carrying the lead role in a two hour multimillion dollar motion picture. The idea of this actually happening is Xanadu level fantasy. Xanadu, btw, was a 1980 musical fantasy produced by Lee Kramer starring Olivia Newton John, who Kramer managed. A Silver Surfer movie starring Zane was Kramer’s unproduced dream.

Around 1979, Movie Producer Lee Kramer had a vision for a cosmic rock opera based on the story of the Silver Surfer.
Kramer wanted Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to write a standalone graphic novel entitled The Silver Surfer, which could then be adapted to a movie that Kramer would produce.
“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,” according to Kramer.
Kramer reached to Beatle Paul McCartney’s management to write the music for the film, and his management said Paul was very interested
According to Men’s Health:

The plot of this movie would have followed Zane’s Surfer as he betrays his master, Galactus, and travels to Earth, where he sees that humanity has the potential to help him defeat the planet-devouring villain. Galactus then tries to lure the Surfer back to him by creating a golden female counterpart for him, named Ardina. This character was created especially by Stan Lee to be played by Kramer’s then-girlfriend, actress and singer Olivia Newton-John, one of whose best-known hits, ‘Physical’, almost made it into the movie:

“Lee Kramer was managing a bodybuilder named Frank Zane who was Mr. World,” recalls Olivia Newton-John in her book Don’t Stop Believin’. “Lee had heard the song ‘Physical’ in its early stages and thought it would be perfect for an upcoming Silver Surfer movie, based on the comic, that he had optioned for Frank to star in. Lee told me about the song and then casually asked, ‘Maybe you could sing it?'””Lee Kramer was managing a bodybuilder named Frank Zane who was Mr. World,” recalls Olivia Newton-John in her book Don’t Stop Believin’. “Lee had heard the song ‘Physical’ in its early stages and thought it would be perfect for an upcoming Silver Surfer movie, based on the comic, that he had optioned for Frank to star in. Lee told me about the song and then casually asked, ‘Maybe you could sing it?'”
Men’s Health

According to an Ebay listing apparently selling the Silver Surfer test proof movie poster:

SILVER SURFER TEST PROOF MOVIE POSTER — ORIGINAL ONE SHEET MOVIE POSTER FROM 1979 .THIS IS A TEST PROOF MOVIE POSTER OF A FILM THAT WAS SLATED TO BE MADE BUT NEVER REACHED FRUITION . THE PHOTO ON THE POSTER IS OF FRANK ZANE WHO WAS IN PRE-PRODUCTION STARRING AS THE SILVER SURFER . WITH HIS BODY PAINTED SILVER AND HOLDING TITLES SUCH AS MR AMERICA , MR WORLD AND COUNTLESS OTHERS HE WAS POISED TO PLAY A GREAT SILVER SURFER . DUE TO LEGALITIES THE MOVIE NEVER GOT MADE BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SILVER SURFER MOVIE BEING MADE IN 1979 . ONLY A HANDFUL OF THESE EXIST .POSTER DOES STATE ON BORDER – LK PRODUCTIONS INC / MARVEL COMICS GROUP 1979 . UBER RARE POSTER !!!!! POSTER MEASURES 25″ X 38″ . THIS POSTER IS IN OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION AND ROLLED WITH A 4 INCH TEAR ON RIGHT SIDE OF BORDER .THIS POSTER IS NOT REPRO OR REPRINT , THIS IS AN ORIGINAL THEATRICAL ONE SHEET MOVIE POSTER PRINTED BY NATIONAL SCREEN SERVICE .PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS OF GREAT MOVIE MATERIAL ON EBAY THIS WEEK .ALL MY MERCHANDISE IS 100% GUARANTEED THAT IF FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER YOU WERE NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE YOU CAN RETURN IT FOR A PROMPT REFUND INCLUDING YOUR SHIPPING COSTS .I ACCEPT PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL. $10.00 SHIPPING ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.A. . $25.00 SHIPPING ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.A. . — Thanks,TOM I DO COMBINE SHIPPING . I ACCEPT PAYPAL .I DO COMBINE SHIPPING . I ACCEPT PAYPAL . I SHIP WORLDWIDE. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING . I ACCEPT PAYPAL . I SHIP WORLDWIDE .