Captain Marvel Is Eyeing This Award-Winning Actress For Carol Danvers

While Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a number of brand new heroes being introduced, we’ve already seen many of them get cast already. Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland have already made their respective debuts as Black Panther and Spider-Man, and in just a few months we’ll see Benedict Cumberbatch become the first big screen version of Doctor Strange. Really, the only big name without an actor attached at this point is Captain Marvel, but that may soon change. That’s because reports now say that Brie Larson is in talks for the part.

This news comes to us from Variety, which has learned from its sources that the Academy Award winning star of Room is considered by Marvel Studios to be the frontrunner for the part of Captain Marvel a.k.a. Carol Danvers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio didn’t officially comment on the story, and it’s unclear exactly where things stand right now in terms of negotiations, but the word is that she is the comic book company’s top choice to take the role.

With the Captain Marvel movie not set to come out until 2019 – sandwiched between the two halves of The Avengers: Infinity War - we haven’t heard a great deal about the development of the project, what with Marvel turning its attention to the other seven titles that are set to come out between now and then. The studio has not yet announced a director for the project, who will ultimately be working with a script that’s being put together by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy). The reason why Marvel is already looking to cast the part of Captain Marvel, however, is possibly because the company wants the character to appear in the continuity of the MCU (possibly in The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1) before she gets to be the star of her own solo film.

Brie Larson

Just because she is one of the most popular actresses currently working in Hollywood, Brie Larson has been buzzed about for months as a potential candidate to play Captain Marvel – though there has also been plenty of conversation about other talented individuals, including Emily Blunt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Katheryn Winnick, and Jessica Chastain. Obviously the idea of Larson getting the part excites us, just given that she has proven herself to be a remarkable actress, but there is one little hang-up: her age. Being only 26, Larson is a bit on the young side to actually be a captain in the military, which Carol Danvers actually is in the comics. This honestly could have been a chance for Marvel to have an over-40 actress headline one of their biggest upcoming projects, and it kind of feels like a missed opportunity.

What do you make of Brie Larson potentially starring in Captain Marvel? Do you think she’s the right choice, or would you prefer to see Marvel Studios take a look at someone else? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts!

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.