Olivia Wilde Declares An Interest In Playing Captain Marvel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to a high-profile cast member, and many A-list stars are regularly rumored to star in one of their multiple productions. As such, it was no surprise when Olivia Wilde playfully joked that she was ready to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Captain Marvel, something that will have the fans buzzing.

This week, Wilde responded to a Twitter suggestion that she should play Captain Marvel.

@MarkDuplass @reedmorano I'm starting my @Marvel diet immediately. Egg shells and jet fuel only, right? Who says indie kids can't go pro?!

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) October 21, 2015

The tweet started as a small joke, since Reed Morano is Olivia Wilde’s director on Meadowland and Mark Duplass was Wilde’s co-star in The Lazarus Effect. Since the tweet, it seems she’s had a little think about the role and is now actually quite keen on the idea, with Morano also throwing his hat into the ring for the director’s role, as confirmed by Comic Book Movie.

The tweet went down a storm, so Olivia Wilde couldn’t resist sharing her enthusiasm for what would be a defining role — the first major Marvel female superhero to feature on the big screen in a solo outing. Speaking to Cinema Blend, she confirmed she is a massive fan of superheroes and would love to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“I’m a big fan of superhero films, and I have so much respect for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The thing with female superheroes is that, in order to be powerful, they are flawless. The idea of kick-ass power lacks a certain nuance, at times. There is something to be said for a female director working to create a female superhero that perhaps [has] a little more complexity.

“Marvel has been so smart about casting unexpected people for these roles. Look at what Robert Downey brought to Iron Man. A real, dry sense of humour and a complexity to his hero balance. I think that the way these Marvel heroes are written, the female superheroes included, do have complexity and flaws. But I think when they are translated into film, the women can become these ultimate goddesses of perfection and I would love to create a female Marvel character who is just as unexpected and complex as some of the male characters as Iron Man. I think that would be really cool!”

Captain Marvel has seen its fair share of casting rumours recently, with Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3), and Emily Blunt (Sicario) amongst the names mentioned as potential candidates for the role. With that conversation and Wilde’s passionate interest, it would be a surprise if she wasn’t at least considered for the part.

Female superheroes haven’t been represented heavily since Marvel began dominating the superhero franchise. The only character of significance, thus far, has been Black Widow in The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, played by Scarlett Johansson. The films took a significant chunk of change — almost $3 billion between them — and many will dispute that Black Widow played a huge part in this. Johansson is a Hollywood heavyweight, and if her performance in Lucy is anything to go by, she is more than able to hold her own in a superhero movie.

Fans are baying for a solo outing for everyone’s favorite leather-clad super spy, but Marvel seem reluctant to give the project the green light. No one is sure why, and Marvel Cinematic Universe kingpin Kevin Feige has remained elusive on the subject. He did state that the Black Widow movie would not happen in favor of introducing a new female character, which was eventually revealed as Captain Marvel. Has the topic come full circle? Will Black Widow get her movie? Only time will tell.

However, with rumors circulating about the potential actress for the lead, Captain Marvel is looking to be a sure-fire way of introducing a dominant female superhero, one who can go toe-to-toe with Marvel’s greatest.

Captain Marvel will open in cinemas on March 8, 2019.

[Image via NBC Universal Television Distribution]