Nearly nine months after announcing Brie Larson as its star, Captain Marvel has found its directors: Mississippi Grind and Half Nelson directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. In addition to features, the duo have directed for television as well, helming episodes of Billions and The Affair for Showtime. None of these credits exactly screams ‘superhero film’ – Mississippi Grind is a drama set around gambing and Half Nelson is about a heroin-addicted school teacher – but this might be a boon, as it will allow the film to tread some new ground for Marvel films.
Marvel has made it clear that they are committed to making sure that their first female-fronted film has a crew with prominent female talent. In addition to co-director Boden, Inside Out screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman are writing the screenplay for the film. “Marvel hasn’t always been so inclusive in their productions, facing criticisms of white-washing in Doctor Strange and the continued absence of a Black Widow film, but Captain Marvel, along with Black Panther, appears to be an attempt to include a more diverse base of filmmakers at their company.”
This hiring also continues Marvel’s strategy of taking directors not known for big budget action films and putting them at the helm, such as Kenneth Branaugh on Thor, Peyton Reed on Ant-Man, and Jon Watts on Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Larson will play Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot who has her DNA fused with that of an alien during an accident, giving her superpowers including strength, energy projection, and flight. Known as Ms. Marvel for 35 years before ascending to the rank of Captain Marvel – a title held by six others previously – in a titular title written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. The series was one of Marvel’s most fan-driven, grassroots successes in years, spawning rabid fans and a true sea change for the character, who has been featured prominently in Marvel’s events since then, most recently in “Civil War II.”
The film is set to debut on March 8, 2019.
