‘Captain Marvel’ Gets A Full Directorial Team To Help Brie Larson Become The Superhero

With the impending release of DC’s Wonder Woman, Marvel Studios is understandably nervous about how their own first female-led superhero film will perform. In light of that uncertainty and unwilling to stall progress on their projects, Marvel seems to be hedging its bets by bringing in a stronger directorial team for Captain Marvel. Certainly, that’s not to say there’s a lack of faith in Patty Jenkins, but as it has often been said, two heads are better than one. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige shares more about that decision, while Brie Larson, the Captain Marvel star, opens up about the key to making Carol Danvers relatable to fans.

Kevin Feige Dishes on His Captain Marvel Directors

Entertainment Weekly reports that the Marvel Studios president has shared the news that Captain Marvel now has its directors. The planned Brie Larson-headed film will place Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck in the directors’ chairs, heading off long-running rumors and speculation about who would be chosen to helm the next big feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Anna Boden has been directing since her 2003 debut on the Have You Seen This Man? documentary short film. She’s best known for directing Half Nelson in 2006 and It’s Kind of a Funny Story in 2010.

Ryan Fleck began his directing career a year earlier with another short film, Struggle, and has worked with Boden on a number of films, including Sugar (2008) and Mississippi Grind (2015).

In fact, Boden and Fleck have spent much of their careers as a team, which may have added to the appeal they have to Marvel Studio. A strong team may bring added quality to the film as a whole.

Still, some might view the decision as Feige going back on his word, as he previously pledged that Captain Marvel would be a female-led film, both on screen and from the director’s chair. Adding Fleck might seem a contradiction to the Marvel Studios president’s previous statements.

“With Captain Marvel, she is as powerful a character as we’ve ever put in a movie,” Feige said. “Her powers are off the charts, and when she’s introduced, she will be by far the strongest character we’ve ever had.”

Brie Larson Dishes on Making a “Human” Captain Marvel Character

Aside from the film’s directors, the most important ingredient in making Captain Marvel a sweeping success is the actress chosen for the lead role, and that’s a responsibility Brie Larson (Kong: Skull Island, Room) is taking seriously. Speaking with CBR, Larson opens up about her approach to playing Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the upcoming film, sharing the physical and emotional challenges of creating a superhero for the big screen.

From the physical aspect, Brie says starring in a role like Captain Marvel is physically exhaustive and that there’s a danger of coming off looking silly or unbelievable. To avoid that kind of an impression, Larson says she has worked with professional trainers off-set and action coordinators on-set.

Brie is thankful for the help because those professionals help her to perform physically by figuring out the depth and angles of each action and stunt. That just leaves Larson to follow through with every bit of intensity she can muster.

Beyond physical scenes, Brie opens up about the personality and the psyche of Carol Danvers, which can be even more important in creating an authentic superhero. For Ms. Larson, the key to making Captain Marvel come alive is letting her emotions and her humanity come through in every scene.

“My main focus is more on the human side of it. The costumes and all the stuff that’s on the surface, there are people you should talk to that are really interesting and they’re the ones in charge of that part. I’m just in charge of what’s going on in her head.”

What she loves most about playing Captain Marvel is the duality of the character. Between playing the superhero and alter ego Carol Danvers, Brie says the complexity of those two aspects of the person and their internal struggle has been the most rewarding part of the experience. The Captain Marvel actress says that kind of conflict is something most people deal with, so being able to explore that on a grander scale has given her a rare opportunity as an actress.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity to be able to put that metaphor on the outside and make that part of what her conflict is,” said Ms. Larson.

Captain Marvel is scheduled for a March 8, 2019, theatrical release.

[Featured Image by Jesse Grant/Getty Images]