If you remember a few months back, I did an interview with TV & movie-writer Don Payne, presently of The Simpsons and the recently-vanished My Super Ex-Girlfriend. He's also the screenwriter on next year's Fantastic Four sequel, and he just dropped me an email to offer some news that's presently making the rounds: The sequel title is officially Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer.

I'm hardly the resident comics expert (Mark's on vacation!), but think it's a nifty enough title ... better than something like Fantastic Four 2 or Fantastic Four: More Four!, I suppose. According to reports, the Surfer will be portrayed in his villainous stage, and I'm picturing the guy as sorta like a live-action Frozone -- which sounds pretty cool to me, but my knowledge of The Silver Surfer is pretty much limited to the Tarantino-penned piece of banter from Crimson Tide. Oh, and Dr. Doom is back too, as are the original Fantastic Foursome and director Tim Story.

FF: ROSS tentpoles next summer.