One subtle deviation from the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula that’s taken place on Disney Plus is the lack of an acclaimed veteran actor as a regular fixture of the ensemble. Dating back to Jeff Bridges in Iron Man, almost every single movie set in the MCU has roped in an esteemed and awards-laden star to play an exposition-heavy supporting or villainous role, something that’s been missing from WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
On the big screen, it remains a familiar trope with William Hurt once again occupying elder statesman territory in Black Widow, while Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has Tony Leung’s Mandarin, and you can take your pick from Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum or Russell Crowe as to who gets to fill that particular void in Thor: Love and Thunder.
In the past, meanwhile, we’ve seen it done by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Douglas, James Spader, Michael Keaton, Laurence Fishburne and many more, with insider Daniel Richtman now reporting that Sigourney Weaver could be next in line to tick that box. As per the tipster’s intel, the Alien legend is wanted for a mysterious role, but there’s no additional information given other than the fact that it won’t be The Defenders‘ Alexandra Reid, which seems obvious considering that the Netflix shows have been wiped from canon.
That’s not exactly a whole lot to go on, but with upwards of 20 projects in development for theaters and Disney Plus, it’s not as if there’s going to be shortage of parts up for grabs in the MCU, especially for someone like Sigourney Weaver, who boasts a back catalogue packed to the brim with classics dating back over 40 years.
