James Gunn helped to bring the cosmic world of Marvel into their Cinematic Universe when he directed and co-wrote the box office juggernaut Guardians of the Galaxy. But did you know Gunn almost entered the cosmic realm of Marvel much sooner than that?

Gunn has recounts the time he wrote a treatment for a Silver Surfer film on his facebook page.

Hey my quote is on the cover of this month's Silver Surfer so pick it up. Little known fact: When I first moved to LA in 1999, one of the first people I met on a meeting was an exec at Fox. He told me they wanted to make a Silver Surfer movie, and I might be right for that, so I wrote an extensive treatment. It was a huge story, cosmic as hell, and featured the Silver Surfer turning on Galactus (but no Fantastic Four - this was before the first FF film). At the same time, I was approached by director Jay Roach and his producer Shauna Robertson about writing a live-action Spy Vs. Spy film. That film seemed more likely to get made, and I loved Jay and Shauna, so I took that gig instead. It was my first studio film job. Of course, in eventuality, neither movie ever got made. But people liked the Spy Vs. Spy script, so I got a lot of work because of it. That said, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like had I truly jumped into the cosmic Marvel pool 16 years ago. Instead, I shall satisfy myself reading the great work of Dan Slott and Mike Allred every month! - James Gunn

The Silver Surfer will make his feature film debut in Tim Story's 2005 film the Fantastic Four: The Rises Of The Silver Surfer. He was portrayed by Doug Jones (Arrow) and voiced by Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix).