When Does the Film "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007) Take Place?
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is a superhero film written by Don Payne with Mark Frost and John Turman [adapting "The Fantastic Four" #48-#50 (1965-1966) by Stan Lee with Jack Kirby as well as "The Fantastic Four" annual #3 (1965) by Stan Lee, "The Fantastic Four" #57-#60 (196?-196?) by ?, and "Ultimate Extinction" #? (200?) by ?] that released June 15th, 2007. So when is "Rise of the Silver Surfer" set?
It takes place on an alternate timeline of the fictional Marvel Cinematic Universe in the year:
We know this because fairly early on in the story a stack of copies of "The NEW YORK Sun" newspaper is visible, shocasing front-page with a headline referring to the current event of the movie's start "Fantastic Wedding Day" includes a large copyright line reading "2007 ONE SL LLC". While sometimes these copyright marks appear on a product or advertisement in the year before or the year after the year the product or advertisement actually appears, most often they correspond exactly to when the thing comes out. So it might be 2006 AD or 2008 AD but would be most likely 2007 AD if not for other evidence presented below.
2006 AD
We know this because fairly early on in the story a stack of copies of "The NEW YORK Sun" newspaper is visible, shocasing front-page with a headline referring to the current event of the movie's start "Fantastic Wedding Day" includes a large copyright line reading "2007 ONE SL LLC". While sometimes these copyright marks appear on a product or advertisement in the year before or the year after the year the product or advertisement actually appears, most often they correspond exactly to when the thing comes out. So it might be 2006 AD or 2008 AD but would be most likely 2007 AD if not for other evidence presented below.
Also, in a very early aerial shot of Times Square, a huge billboard taking up the entire side of a building advertises the stage-musical "TARZAN" (2006), which opened on Broadway on May 10th, 2006 AD (after previews that started on March 24th, 2006 AD) and closed on July 8th, 2007 AD in the real world. Though an advertisement could easily have gone up before the previews began, it would have come down by the show's closing. So it must be after early 2006 AD and before early July of 2007 AD.
More specifically, when the Silver Surfer first arrives in Manhattan Times Square is shown and a enormous billboard for Cup Noodles is clearly visible at One Times Square. The real-world faux-steam-generating Cup Noodles sign went up in 1996 AD and then was replaced with a Chevrolet Motors-branded clock for New Year's Eve of 2007 AD. So it is very likely very late 2006 AD.
It is a midway chronological film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (a chronologically early film to feature the Fantastic Four) and can be watched after "Fantastic Four" (2005).
It was loosely adapted as a video game in 2007.
