Over the years, we’ve seen the superhero genre grow and change significantly, as superhero films aren’t just some of the biggest moneymakers at the box office, but they’re starting to be taken more seriously not just by the audience, but by Hollywood talent and studio executives as well.
Actors didn’t take comic book movie roles very seriously in the past (like Pierce Brosnan, who passed on the opportunity to play Batman), but that’s all changed in the last few years as more and more superhero films are becoming populated by award-winning talent. The Dark Knight trilogy was jam packed with Academy Award-winning actors, while Marvel has slowly been expanding their resume to include legendary Hollywood stars like Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Michael Douglas (Ant-Man) to go along with the handful of award-nominated cast members they already have. The studio is even trying to get three-time Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix to play Doctor Strange.Â
Suffice it to say, the superhero genre is changing, and more and more great talent is interested in jumping on board. Al Pacino recently expressed his interest, and now two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) has done the same.
The actress recently spoke with The Guardian to promote some of her upcoming projects, and announced that she’s dying to join a superhero film. Not only that, but she’s not interested in playing some supporting, boring role. She wants to jump right into the deep end of the pool:
“I would love to do a superhero movie! I would have loved to have played Black Widow. A couple times I’ve gotten really close. The problem is, if I do a superhero movie, I don’t want to be the girlfriend. I don’t want to be the daughter. I want to wear a fucking cool costume with a scar on my face, with fight scenes. That’s what I’d love.”
Chastain is a phenomenal actress who’s really hit her stride over the last couple years, and any studio would be lucky to have her sign on for their project. Plus, she’s incredibly picky about her roles, so the fact that she wants to play a superhero is pretty telling.
The actress recently spoke out about Scarlet Johansson deserving a Black Widow solo film, and was almost in Iron Man 3 herself. She was set to play scientist Maya Hansen, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. The role ended up going to Rebecca Hall instead. That was probably for the better, however, because Chastain is the kind of actress who would really shine in a more substantial role. Now the only question is, if she does join a superhero film, who could she play?
Several options immediately come to mind. We’ve heard plenty of rumors that Marvel is prepping a Captain Marvel film, while their Inhumans project contains a red-haired superheroine named Medusa, Fox is looking for a new Jean Grey for X-Men: Apocalypse (though Chastain is likely too old for the younger version of the character they’re looking for), Sony recently announced their plans for a female-driven superhero film to hit in 2017, and DC has a library of great characters at their disposal, including Mera, the Queen of Atlantis and wife of Aquaman.
Tell us, would you like to see Jessica Chastain join a superhero movie? Let us know in the comments below!
