Since I’m not really into superhero films, I tend to side-eye Marvel’s years-long reluctance to make a female-led superhero film. They had plenty of opportunities, but for years they were more than happy to churn out the sausage-party films and balk when anyone suggested that perhaps Black Widow should have a stand-alone movie. Finally, Kevin Feige got with the program and realized that girls see movies too (shocking!). So Brie Larson was hired to play Captain Marvel in a stand-alone origin film. The film is set in the ‘90s, because ‘90s nostalgia is a very real thing and Brie even wears a NIN shirt, which warms my heart. Anyway, Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive cover story about Captain Marvel, which comes out March 8, 2019. Some quotes from Brie:
Captain Marvel is a part-Kree, part-human pilot, and she’s just being herself: “She can’t help but be herself. She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She’s also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she’s the first one out there and doesn’t always wait for orders. But the [not] waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw.”
She’s not a godlike superhero: “You have this Kree part of her that’s unemotional, that is an amazing fighter and competitive. Then there’s this human part of her that is flawed but is also the thing that she ends up leading by. It’s the thing that gets her in trouble, but it’s also the thing that makes her great. And those two sides warring against each other is what makes her her.”
Brie didn’t say yes to the film right away: “I never saw myself doing something like this, mostly because I like being anonymous. I like disappearing into characters, and I always felt like if I was out in the public eye too much, it potentially limits you in the future….[but] just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering,” Larson says. And becoming the face of a Marvel superhero doesn’t hurt, either: The first time she put on the Captain Marvel suit, she says, her first thought was, “Whoa, am I going to be a character at Disneyland?”
She trained for months to get the stunt work right: “I was an introvert with asthma before this movie. I really thought when they hired me, ‘I am the worst choice for an action movie.’ And I didn’t know that I had a little Keanu Reeves in me! Who knew?”
[From Entertainment Weekly]
I’ll admit it, it did surprise me when Brie was announced for this role, just because she seems like such an indie-film purist, someone who would never be down with a big Marvel role. But Brie is a pragmatist too, and a smart cookie: she knows that this will open her to a new fanbase and new opportunities. Plus, she probably loves that kids will come up to her now. And she loves the fact that they actually fleshed out a real character for her in a lead role.
.@brielarson took a long time to say yes to playing #CaptainMarvel. Here's why: https://t.co/K7yIdo2RdX pic.twitter.com/3SQZoTEo4z
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 5, 2018
Here's your first look at Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, courtesy of @ew pic.twitter.com/amGwIK92AU
— IGN (@IGN) September 5, 2018
Cover & photos courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.
She wants to be know as movie star.
Yeah, Im rolling my eyes everytime someone who takes a role that comes with huge attention talks about not wanting the fame. She had huge acclaim already, she didnt need this role, she wanted it.
I could see concerns about typecasting, but fame? Come on. The entire Hollywood game is getting your name out there.
Yeeeeah she also did Kong Skull Island. I’m not sure I buy the fake earnest indie darling. She took the first big blockbuster she could after Room. Nobody thought Skull Island was going to bomb.
Kong skull island didn’t bomb. It made almost 600 mln and is part of new uniwersum. It is really strange that so many ‘experts’ said it on this side in comments. You so badly wanted this movie to flip and was wrong guys. Get over it. Warner Bros was happy about it.
@socool fair enough! My bad. It was torn apart criticallly, so I remembered incorrectly. The point being that she took a huge blockbuster immediately. Not really about the success of the movie. But thanks!
It got good reviews, though… You must be confused
@tale Ha! Yes. I clearly am. I definitely remembered the success of that movie incorrectly. Wow. Regardless, her choice to do it isn’t one of someone who wishes to stay an indie darling. That’s all I’m saying. I’ll do my “movie success” research next time 🙂
Eh, it didn’t bomb, but it wasn’t a massive hit, either. The film’s overall budget meant that it needed to make ~$500 million just to break even. IMO, it suffered mainly from the fact that China didn’t greenlight it. Massive market loss there.
But China did greenlight it. It grossed almost $170M there, and outperformed all of the Marvel movies, Wonder Woman, Beauty and the Beast, and a whole host of other high profile blockbusters at the China box office in 2017.
Larson absolutely wants to be. Always has.
She did the entertainment show circuit for years before movie roles beckoned. I think she even released a pop single, or summat?
This faux ‘who-me’ antics after years of tolling for fame is tiresome BS.
She looks great!
I’m here for it!
And predictably, the fanboys are already out in force whining about their hurt fee fees because another GIRL is being forced on them!! So fragile.
You’re so right about the fragile fanboys. I’ve been so disappointed with most of my ‘comic nerd’ guy friends. They’re trashing the movie and declaring the end of marvel because Cap Marvel will potentially be the future leader along with black panther.
I’m tempted to see the hell out of this movie multiple times just to to stick it to the fragile fanboys. Blockbusters with female leads that win at the box office will be the only thing that eventually shuts them up.
I am here for it even though I have a tiny doubt that Brie can be forceful as Captain Marvel.
She’s good dramatic actor but kinda agree Maya. I’m still super excited for the movie though, WW was so underwhelming. So I trust marvel to make a good female led movie. And unlike gal, at least Brie can act.
She’s so bland and I think marvel rushed the casting. But you’re right, at lease she can act. WW was uwatchable.
Having said that, will see the movie once it premieres. Probably more than once lol
She was at her best in Scott Pilgrim.
I totally forgot that she was in that movie.
That this is set in the 90’s seems to confirm some of the time travel rumors about Avengers 4.
Mmm, I’d like a little Keanu Reeves in me.
Oops, did I say that out loud? :p
Hee
Wouldn’t we all?
Gosh, hahahaha!!
Can’t wait! And they’re bringing back Lee Pace in this one, although he’ll be blue.
Yes! God I love Lee Pace
Really interested in this movie.
And I love the costume.
Meh. Brie Larson? She was good in Scott Pilgrim, but I would have loved to have seen Saoirse Ronan as Carol Danvers.
Anonymous? Woman, you’re a Hollywood actress! This isn’t even your first blockbuster movie! Do these people ever listen to themselves, swear to God. I can’t believe they seriously tried to sell her as an anti-JLaw two years back.
I’ll say again, can we STOP trying to make Brie Larson a “thing”! She is so bland looking and not dynamic enough on screen. This will not end well, but maybe that is the point considering Marvel is truly a boys club and the women are just supporting characters.
That’s what I thought about Alicia Vikander and her being an action star until I watched Tomb Raider. I had previously seen her in Man From U.N.C.L.E and thought she was cute-ish( liked her voice) but bland. And Wx Machina worked that bland vibes she gives off to great effect.
But Tomb Raider made me notice her more. She was lively and seemed fun. My big sis who knows nothing about her found her really beautiful. I also have to wonder about those complaining she had no muscles or abs because the first time she appears in the movie( getting her ass handed to her), she absolutely looks fit as f*ck!
I’ve only seen Brie in Kong, not too blown away by her performance but I look forward to being so. Now that I know she’s in Scott Pilgrim, I HAVE even more read to watch that movie.
If this cover and these teaser photos are any indications, Brie will be bland. I hope not for her sake, but this is the first Marvel film where I’ve seen promos, and I feel indifferent. They should hold off until they can release a trailer, because this cover lost any momentum the film had in the first place for me.
I’ve followed her on social media for a long time and she’s one of my favorite “out and proud” feminists in Hollywood. She’s smart, silly and compassionate. I believe she wants to enjoy the acclaim of being a celebrated movie star, demonstrate further that female-led movies can make big bucks and wants to give little kids everywhere another female hero to look up to. Brie is a good choice because I trust she would have insisted the character be complex and not just a hot babe. Black Widow is not an interesting character IMO, she’s just a sultry spy in a catsuit (hot babe) and there are plenty of films and shows about Russian spies already.
Way baack she deleted one of my (polite but disagreeing) comments on her IG about her visiting a captive dolphin facility and sharing a photo of herself patting the cute (poor stressed) dolphins.
Also I just find her not that likeable on screen and she’s sometimes flat and bland. Just because she isn’t a hot babe and is a competent actor doesn’t mean she’s really all that good. HW is 99% marketing a lot of the time.
Apparently, Feige while always the top guy at Marvel Studios back then a few other people were vetoing the female led franchises (someone alleged Ike Perlmutter was one).
Since those decision makers have – presumably – had less influence however, we’ve got stuff like Black Panther, Thor Ragnarok, Ant-Man & The Wasp, and Captain Marvel.
Tbh, I’m tired of hearing people moan about comic book movies. 1. Just support the films you like then; 2. Comic book films are symptoms of the industry’s sequel-, reboot-, pre-existing franchise-itis because it’s mainly run by marketing decisions and no one wants to takes creative risks (and that’s not counting entrenched bs) and losing the comic books and superheroes isn’t going to fix that problem; 3. Plenty of comic book fans have waited decades to see their favourite characters done right in live action and Marvel Studios are finally doing that and doing it well. Compare their achievements after 10 years with Infinity War to Fox who’ve had the mutant and Fantastic Four properties for two decades and are still struggle rebooting Dark Phoenix (Deadpool being something they got lucky with rather than meticulously nurtured); same with Sony who keep rebooting Peter Parker because they are not interested in any of the PoC or female Marvel Spider-heroes ( no Jessica Drew, Miles Morales, or Cindy Moon); 5. Lastly, another tiresome thing is people complaining about Marvel Studios’ delay in not creating female-led franchises sooner and yet not supporting the female-led franchises when they come out. Not cool.
I’ll be watching Captain Marvel when it comes out bland or not. If Larson’s Carol doesn’t work for whatever reason, I hope they tweak it like they did with Thor (with Ragnarok) and Captain America (with The Winter Soldier), or maybe they’ll be able to introduce Rogue and reboot Carol’s personality that way. It doesn’t matter if they have problems just that they work on them; and Marvel Studios under Feige has had a good rectification curve in that respect.
I’m already seeing youTube vidders starting to come at Marvel Studios sideways because they’re starting to add PoC and female leads. They’ll probably be foaming at the mouth when there’s a WoC led Marvel movie *eye-roll*. Let’s hope audiences support the female-franchises so that any necessary course correction can happen so that more can follow.
(A lot of the time actresses don’t have the same career lifespan to develop the cult of personality following actors have and are often not give the kind of roles that allow them to showcase a wide character-range either. So it would make sense to me that Larson’s casting, or past roles, probably isn’t generating as much excitement as, say when RDJ was announced as Iron Man.)
Everything you said ff!
I thought Infinity War was pretty good for what it is and the recent MI was also good for what it is but let’s face it, these genres have serious limitations and I’m seriously bored out of my mind with the superhero and action stuff out there, no matter how much great writing and producing goes into these. Genuinely good crowd-pleasing films like A Quiet Place are few and far between, and I’m not an arthouse person. As a person who hates, hates, hates being locked into TV shows, I’m seriously contemplating streaming the whole The Americans or some other high quality TV shows to get over my involuntary film privation.
Just to add to my previous comment, apparently Sony has a Silk/Cindy Moon live action feature in development. I hope that’s a legit project and not just butt-covering because the Sony hack caught them outright saying they had no interest in any of the non-Peter Parker (i.e. non-white, or female) Spider-heroes.
A character named Cindy Moon did feature in Homecoming so I did hope it was more than a shoutout. I also hope Marvel Studios gets to co-pilot on the Silk project, so Cindy (and I hope, Miles) can be part of the MCU.
And, on-topic: I am so excited about Maria Rambeau – and potentially Monica Rambeau – being in Captain Marvel. (Now if the MCU wants to give Monica a badass codename that sticks, all would be perfect.)
Standing ovation @FF! Nothing more to add.
people keep whining and whining about the Superhero films as if their existence suddenly cancels the rest of the highbrow, ARTY movies…smh. Just go watch yours and we’ll watch ours.
I don’t buy that hair as 90s though – she looks like a total poser to me.