Captain Marvel: Everything Known (So Far)

Captain Marvel is poised to break ground for Marvel Studios as its first movie starring a female superhero. Details for the film are still being ironed out — but here’s what is known so far.

THE MAIN DETAILS

Brie Larson, hot off her best actress Oscar win for 2015’s Room, will step into her new role: Carol Danvers. Larson is the only person officially cast for the film, which is set for a March 8, 2019 release. No director has been set, but sources said in June Marvel Studios was on the hunt for a female helmer, with names being bandied about including Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland, USA) and Jennifer Kent (The Babadook). There is a script from Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve, who co-wrote Pixar’s Inside Out. For her part, Larson has been getting into the role — sharing photos of her reading comics and posting Captain Marvel memes fans have created. 

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WHAT’S THE STORY?

There’s no plot synopsis yet, but in the comics Carol Danvers is an Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with an alien’s thanks to an accident, granting her super strength and the power of flight. Screenwriter Perlman has said she wants to avoid comparisons to Green Lantern with the origin story. (The DC hero was also a fighter pilot who gained his powers after an encounter with an alien.) The film comes out just two months before the still untitled Avengers 4 — so expect a mid-credits scene setting that up.

WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR MARVEL … AND HOLLYWOOD

Rival DC and Warner Bros. is beating Marvel to the punch with its own female-toplined blockbuster, Wonder Woman, which hits theaters 15 months earlier in June 2017. Comic book observers have expressed hope that films like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel can end the conversation that has plagued Hollywood for years — “Can a female-driven superhero movie succeed?” Female-starring comic book movies have had a rough history. Supergirl (1984) is the worst-reviewed superhero movie of all time. Catwoman (2004) and Elektra (2005) were not much better received. These failures have made Hollywood skittish about greenlighting female-driven comic book movies — and Captain Marvel has a shot at helping dispel the notion among Hollywood execs that these are risky prospects.

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