With Comic-Con only a few months away, chances are the biggest Marvel updates are going to be on hold until they can be revealed there. One piece of news that many have been waiting on a long time is the actress who will play Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, as well as who will direct her solo movie coming in 2019. While many names have been floated for the role, Jeff Sneider at The Wrap has just dropped a major clue, and already the speculation has started.
Chatting on the Meet the Movie Press podcast, Sneider very skillfully chose his words in order to not give away too much...
“There was a rumour about an actress being up for it; an already existing rumour, that’s not new. I’ve definitely heard there’s some truth to that rumour, and that there’s a director with the same first name who has also been eyed.”
So let's start at the top: Emily Blunt is probably the biggest name most frequently mentioned about Captain Marvel. Not only is she cool with Disney, who cast her in Into the Woods and as their new Mary Poppins, but she very nearly played Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Remember that?
That would leave a director with the name of 'Emily' to join her. Some are already guessing indie directors Emily Ting (festival darling It's Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, which we just reviewed), Emily Hagains (Pathogen), and Emily Young (Veronika Decides To Die). None seem like obvious choices, but remember who Marvel has been hiring lately. The Russo Brothers are basically Marvel's home run hitters now, and they had a very minor career beforehand. Spider-Man: Homecoming is being directed by Jon Watts, whose biggest film had been the genre thriller, Cop Car. And directing Thor: Ragnarok is Taika Waititi, best known for Flight of the Conchords. None of these are household names yet Marvel is willing to take a gamble and build them into stars.
But my guess is that it will be Rebecca Ferguson who lands the Captain Marvel role. The Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation and The Girl On the Train star was among the many rumored some months ago, and she's red hot right now. As for who could direct? How about Rebecca Miller, a veteran best known for female-centric films such a Personal Velocity, The Ballad of Jack & Rose, and Maggie's Plan? Coincidentally, I'll be interviewing Miller soon and can ask her directly.
Others rumored are Ronda Rousey (who has been campaigning for it), Kathryn Winnick, Ruth Wilson, Yvonne Strahovski, and Katee Sackhoff, Hmmm....Kathryn Winnick and Catherine Hardwicke, maybe?
Captain Marvel has a script by Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out), with a star and director soon to follow.
