Now that we know what movies Marvel has coming down the pipeline until 2019, the next thing fans get to speculate about (aside from the actual stories) is who will be playing the new characters joining the franchise. Chadwick Boseman was announced to be playing Black Panther during the Phase Three film announcement, and Benedict Cumberbatch was finally confirmed as Doctor Strange last week. While there will be a variety of new faces introduced in the coming years, the next big superhero that Marvel has to cast is Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. Since her solo film isn’t coming out until 2018, it will be awhile until we hear any news on who will portray her, but there’s one actress that Marvel may want to take a look at.
While chatting with MTV, The Fault in Our Stars actress Shailene Woodley expressed interest in starring in a Marvel movie, praising the way all the MCU projects are interconnected. Despite being priorly drawn to independent features, Woodley admitted she enjoys the larger-than-life escapism that these superhero films offer. While she was mostly just talking off the cuff about her love for the superhero franchise, it does beg the question: could she play Captain Marvel?
On first glance, Carol Danvers might not be the best fit for Woodley. For one thing, her age is working against her. In the comics, Carol is an officer in the United States Air Force when she obtains her powers, meaning she’s been in the military for awhile. Woodley is currently 23, and while she is good at giving dramatic performances, it may be difficult for her to convince audiences that she’s this mature, seasoned military officer. Captain Marvel is set to come out on July 6, 2018, and since filming typically takes place a year before a film’s release, Woodley would be 25 or 26 during the shoot. While a lot can change in three years, it may not be enough to earn her the role.
However, Woodley’s age shouldn’t necessarily exclude her from the role. After all, younger actresses like Jennifer Lawrence have proven that they can bring maturity and wisdom to older roles, and Scarlett Johansson was only 24 when she was filming her first appearance as Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Plus, Woodley has experience with action films from her work on Divergent, and since the last film in the Divergent series will be released in spring 2017, she could choose Marvel as her next big franchise. If Marvel decides to go in a different direction with the character, such as drop her down a few ranks, Woodley could work well playing Danvers, and since Marvel likes to tie actors down with a multi-film contract, it’s a guarantee we’d be seeing a lot of her. Ideally Marvel will start releasing Captain Marvel plot tidbits in the near future so fans can make more educated guesses on who should play her, but as it stands now, Woodley’s chances are just as good as any other actresses who are being looked at or are interested in the role. At least if she was cast as the main character, it’s guaranteed her scenes wouldn’t be cut, unlike her experience on The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Check out Woodley’s full comments above to judge for yourself whether she’s serious about joining the MCU and whether she’d be a good fit for the superhero.
