Marvel fans will finally get their first female-lead superhero movie in just over two years whenCaptain Marvelhits theaters in March 2019, starringBrie Larson. None of the other cast members have been announced, with a director still yet to be chosen. And it isn’t known when filming may begin, although we do know thatNicole Perlman(Guardians of the Galaxy) andMeg LeFauve(Inside Out) are writing the script.Nicole Perlmanrecently appeared on a podcast, where she teased that there is quite a bit of work that goes into this character fitting into the MCU.
Aside fromBrie Larsonbeing cast, very little is known aboutCaptain Marvelat this point, although it has been confirmed that Carol Danvers will make her MCU debut inAvengers: Infinity War.Nicole Perlmanrecently appeared on the Geek Dad podcast, and while she didn’t reveal any specific plot details, the writer did tease that it was a challenge to find a way to carve out a unique place for Carol Danvers in the MCU. Here’s what she had to say about how the MCU influences the entire story she’s writing.
“Marvel is a little bit of a house of cards in a sense that everything influences everything around it, even if it’s very modular. Figuring out where the story fits in theMCUinfluences things as well. She an incredible character, but I will also say that since Marvel has done so many movies already, you really have to go out of your way to make sure her story is fresh, and doesn’t borrow too heavily from the other films. She’s an incredibly strong and wonderful hero, but all the Marvel characters are. So you just need to figure out how to bring her to life in a way that’s unique to her story but in a way that honors the canon and also gearing out the roles that she needs to play with everything that’s going on in the MCU. It’s a little bit of a twister game whereas Guardians is very free, where it’s like the sky is the limit, withCaptain Marvel, it’s been trying to really figure out who Carol Danvers is and how to just tell a story that fulfills all the structural needs of who she is but also really channels the spirit of who this incredibly powerful and inspiring person is.”
BeforeCaptain Marvelwas announced during a fall 2014 press event, Marvel had been criticized for its lack of diversity, with many fans clamoring for a Black Widow (Scarlett Johnasson) stand alone movie. While it isn’t known if a Black Widow movie will ever happen,Captain Marvelwill be the firstfemale-lead Marvel movie, withNicole Perlmansaying that this historic aspect of the film leads to several questions being raised about the story.
“I think there’s a tendency to have that back and forth conversation of ‘Should it affect the story at all?’ or ‘Should it affect the writing?’ I think that making sure thatCaptain Marvelis not somebody who is a hero in spite of her femininity is important. She’s a very strong character and her being a woman is part of that strength. I will say that there are certain tropes you can get away without having to examine too much if you’re not writing the first femaleMarvel Studioslead, that could be read into a lot or that could diminish her own proactivity, strength, and independence. There are things you wouldn’t think twice about for Iron Man, but you would think twice about for Captain Marvel.”
AfterBrie Larsonwas cast, some fans thought that the 27-year-old actress was too young to play an accomplished Air Force pilot like Carol Danvers. When asked about that controversy,Nicole Perlmanrevealed she consulted with the Air Force just a day before this podcast interview, and they told her that it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a woman of that age to be so accomplished. Here’s what she had to say below.
“I had to consult with the Air Force yesterday, and I brought up the age issue, and they said that it was not out of the realm of possibility, that somebody could be very accomplished in the Air Force between the age of 28-34 and that you could go very far within that time. I don’t think the age is going to be an issue. Also, obviously by the time the movie comes out and by the time they finish shooting, Brie will be a lot older than when she was announced. I think it’s going to be fine.”
Back in August, a report surfaced thatNiki Caro,Lesli Linka GlatterandLorene Scafariaare on Marvel’s short list to directCaptain Marvel, but the studio has not made a final decision quite yet. Marvel has set a August 26, 2025 release date, with filming most likely starting next year, although a date hasn’t been confirmed yet. Hopefully we’ll find out more about who will directCaptain Marvel, or who will fill out the cast.
