Candyman "spiritual sequel" director Nia DaCosta is at the helm of Captain Marvel 2, replacing directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and even though there is new blood behind the camera, star Brie Larson is taking the time to praise DaCosta's confidence as she takes on the MCU.
In a new interview for the "A Little Late with Lilly Singh" YouTube channel, Larson was asked about the Marvel sequel and even though the actress can't say much, she did express her excitement about working DaCosta:
"It's amazing. I'm so excited that it's announced and I can talk about. Nia's amazing and she got the job because she was the best person for the job. That's one of my favorite parts about this. She just gave an incredible presentation and I'm inspired by her! She has confidence, it's a big deal to step into this thing we know as the Marvel Universe. It's this huge thing and to have a leader who's just like, 'Yeah, I'm meant to be here.'"
DaCosta came into our view when she directed the 2018 film Little Woods, which starred fellow MCU alum, Tessa Thompson. This put her in the sights of Jordan Peele, who was producing a "spiritual sequel" of sorts to 1992's Candyman. Peele thought she was perfect for the new take on the horror classic and brought her on board. DaCosta also shares screenwriting credit on that film with Peele and Win Rosenfeld.
Directing Captain Marvel 2 is actually a milestone moment for DaCosta and Marvel. This will make her the first Black woman to direct a Marvel Studios movie and while she was confident about her pitch when she met with Marvel boss Kevin Feige, she had to really think about the scope and magnitude of taking on such a huge endeavor:
"[It was] definitely an immediate yes-but I'd been mulling it over through the process. The consideration on my end was, you know, 'I just did a movie that's bigger than me. Do I want to do another one that's even bigger?' But at the same time I'm a huge Marvel fan, have been since I was a kid, and I've always wanted to direct a Marvel movie."
DaCosta wants to tell a different kind of story with Captain Marvel 2 but she doesn't want to diminish any of its superhero sensibilities as well:
"Different types of stories have different types of mediums. Am I gonna tell an in-depth story about class in this one? Probably not. But I think Marvel movies can focus on 'in-between' stories, too-in a huge, operatic way."
Brie Larson will be back as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel 2 and during Disney's Investor Day, it was revealed that both Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) would be joining the film's cast and the sequel script is being written by Megan McDonnell, who is currently a staff writer on the Disney+ series WandaVision.
Are YOU excited to see what Nia DaCosta brings to the table? Captain Marvel 2 is expected to hit screens on November 11, 2022.