With Marvel busy zeroing in on a star and director for its Spider-Man pic, there hasn’t been much news regarding 2018’s Captain Marvel, but that’s changing today with a rumor from OK! Magazine (aka, take this with a MASSIVE grain of salt) that Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie have forged a deep friendship these past few months that could lead to both signing on for the Marvel pic, with the former starring and the latter directing.
Past reports have suggested that Marvel has already secretly cast Captain Marvel, but no names have been linked to the title role of yet. Theron is hardly, as the OK! story claims, a “fan favourite for the starring role,” but she is coming off an acclaimed action turn in Mad Max: Fury Road, which some key players at Marvel almost certainly watched with considerable interest, given that they’re aiming to create a kick-ass action heroine not dissimilar to that film’s Imperator Furiosa. Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt have both voiced interest in the part, but casting on the role may actually be a while off, given how many projects will hit screens before Captain Marvel.
In the meantime, it’s not hard to see Theron slipping into the role of Carol Danvers, and it would certainly be interesting to see the actress face off with the likes of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Chris Evans’ Captain America and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man (all of whom will almost certainly still be a part of the Avengers lineup by the time she arrives). She’s perhaps the best fit I’ve heard of so far.
As for Jolie, she’s been rumored for the directing gig for some time, as Marvel wants a female helmer to take on the film but there have been questions of whether the Unbroken director (who has only helmed two movies so far, neither of which have been rip-roaring successes) is most qualified for the job. Selma filmmaker Ava DuVernay is also being hounded by Marvel, but it’s unclear whether execs want her more for Black Panther or Captain Marvel. Honestly, it would be a bit surprising if Marvel gave her the film given her somewhat uneven track record, but everything’s conjecture at this point.
Captain Marvel opens on November 2, 2018.
