Captain Marvel: Cryptic Clue Dropped About Possible Casting & Director

As the mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe rolls on, it surely can’t be too long until we start getting some definitive news on their first female solo movie, ‘Captain Marvel.’

The movie based around one of Marvel’s mightiest heroes, USAF pilot turned cosmically-empowered super-being Carol Danvers, was among the projects confirmed by Marvel as part of their five-year plan slate revealed in October 2014.

However, 18 months on all we know for sure about ‘Captain Marvel’ is that Nicole Perlman (co-writer of ’Guardians of the Galaxy’) and Meg LeFauve (’Inside Out’) are collaborating on the screenplay, and its (revised) release date is 8 March 2019.

However, it may be that we get some bigger news sooner rather than later - and one well-connected film reporter has given us a rather cryptic clue as to which actress and director might be in the running.

Jeff Snieder of The Wrap, hosting a reader Q&A as part of live video chat Meet The Movie Press, tentatively confirmed that he got “his first tip” about casting on ‘Captain Marvel’ earlier this week.

Choosing his words very carefully for fear of giving away more than he’s legally allowed to, Snieder hinted, “There was a rumour about an actress being up for it; an already existing rumour, that’s not new.

“I’ve definitely heard there’s some truth to that rumour, and that there’s a director with the same first name who has also been eyed.”

This was as much as Snieder felt safe to say, but he pondered,“I don’t think that [an announcement] is too far off. If they can make it to Comic Con, they will.”

So - an actress already linked to Captain Marvel, and a director with the same first name. Assuming Snider’s tip is accurate, this immediately narrows down the possibilities - not that it makes it easy to gauge.

First off, arguably the actress most frequently linked with the role has been Emily Blunt. As well as being a fan favourite for Carol Danvers, she came very close to being cast as Black Widow in ‘Iron Man 2,’ so there’s no question she’s on Marvel’s radar.

She’s also clearly in good stead with parent company Disney, having recently been cast as the new Mary Poppins.

As for directors who share Blunt’s first name: it’s possible this could be Emily Young, British director behind 2009 drama ‘Veronika Decides To Die,’ an adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s novel starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Thewlis.

Alternatively, it could be Emily Ting, an experienced producer and documentary maker, whose first narrative feature ‘Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong’ proved a critical hit at the 2015 film festivals. (It’s worth noting that ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts came to Marvel’s attention via his 2015 festival hit ‘Cop Car.’)

There’s even the possibility, however vague, that it could be Emily Hagins, young indie horror filmmaker who famously made her directorial debut, 2006′s ‘Pathogen,’ when she was only 13 years old. (If this seems to make Hagins an unlikely candidate, don’t forget that until recently Jon Watts was best known for low budget horror movie ‘Clown.’)

Another actress often linked with ‘Captain Marvel’ has been Katheryn Winnick, who’s proved she has the look and the physicality through her work on TV’s ‘Vikings’ - and while the spelling of her name may be unique, it is very close to that of two the biggest female directors around.

Firstly, there’s Catherine Hardwicke, famed for ‘Twilight,’ ‘Red Riding Hood’ and last year’s ‘Miss You Already;’ and secondly, there is of course Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar for 2009′s ‘The Hurt Locker’ (which, we might note, starred future Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner).

Generally speaking, Marvel tend not to go for such established mainstream filmmakers - but there’s a first time for everything.

Other actresses linked to the role include Charlize Theron, Natalie Dormer, Katee Sachoff, Ronda Rousey, Rebecca Ferguson, Yvonne Strahovski, and recent Best Actress Oscar-winner Brie Larson - but I’ve been unable to identify any established directors with those same first names who seem like feasible candidates.

If you can do better than me, feel free to name your actor-director predictions for ‘Captain Marvel’ in the comments section below - and at the same time, please remember that this is all 100% speculation…

Picture Credit: Marvel, Warner Bros, History Channel

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