When Brie Larson was first announced by Kevin Feige himself at San Diego Comic-Con that she would be Captain Marvel, she was met on stage with an incredible roar of approval. Internet message boards followed the same path, Larson's casting just another example of how truly powerful Marvel's casting is. However, there are certainly nitpicks to be made. and one of the chief ones is that Larson is too young to play Carol Danvers, a decorated figure in the Air Force. It's a somewhat credible critique (Larson is 27), but Captain Marvel screenwriter Nicole Perlman doesn't think it's an issue at all.
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans should be familiar with the name Nicole Perlman. The writer has been involved with various projects of the MCU, most prominently having written the first draft of Guardians of the Galaxy before James Gunn came on board. She'll be penning the screenplay for Captain Marvel alongside Meg LeFauve, and though the film isn't set to hit until 2019, she's already talking about writing the first female-led Marvel movie. During an interview with The Great Big Beautiful Podcast (via MCUExchange), Perlman spoke about the age issue, and apparently it's not so unusual to be young in the Air Force.
I had to consult with the Air Force yesterday and I brought up the age issue and they said that it was not out of the realm of possibility that somebody could be very accomplished in the Air Force between the age of 28-34 and that you could go very far within that time. I don't think the age is going to be an issue. Also obviously by the time the film comes out and by the time they finish shooting, Brie will be a lot older than when she was announced.
Well, if the Air Force says it's fine, I guess it's okay then. The complaint that Brie Larson is too young doesn't really track when you think of all the times an actor hasn't played their age onscreen. If anything Larson is maybe five or so years away from "acceptable" Air Force age, and there are plenty of examples of actors playing characters with a much wider age gap than that. Andrew Garfield, for example, was playing a high school kid while he was in his thirties during Amazing Spider-Man.
Nicole Perlman also brings up the point that by the time Captain Marvel eventually does hit theaters in 2019, Larson will be 29 years old. The only issue with time in Captain Marvel is that it's not coming out sooner! As long as the casting is good, the age really doesn't matter.
We've still got a long way to go before Captain Marvel finally joins the Avengers on the big screen. Brie Larson is rumored to be involved with Avengers: Infinity War, but in what capacity is unclear. Captain Marvel is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 8, 2019.
