Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have signed on to direct Brie Larson in Captain Marvel.
Bosses at Marvel Studios launched an extensive search for a director last year (16) and Niki Caro, Lesli Linka Glatter, and Lorene Scafaria shortlisted.
They also met with Fifty Shades of Grey’s Sam Taylor-Johnson and Lucia Aniello, but ultimately decided on Boden and Fleck, who wrote and directed 2006’s Half Nelson. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Nicole Perlman and Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve have written the script, while Kevin Feige will produce the movie, which is set for release in 2019. .
Brie’s character, Carol Danvers, was created in 1968, and first appeared in the Captain Marvel comic books as an American security officer working alongside Captain Mar-Vell, an alien, sent to study earth. Editors at Entertainment Weekly previously reported the character almost appeared at the end of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but no actress was cast in the role at that point.
The upcoming film will be the first superhero movie for Brie, who won an Oscar last year (16) for her emotional performance in the drama Room.
Last month (Mar17), the actress opened up about her desire to play Captain Marvel.
“I feel a great responsibility,” she told The Sunday Times. “I want to create this symbol of strength and humour for women that I really wish I had had growing up. It feels so valuable. We need to break through that glass ceiling – women go to the theatre to see a movie with a male lead, and men will go see a film with a female lead. We’re all equals here.”