I think it's safe to say that a lot of people were taken aback when it was announced that indie directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were named as the helmers of Marvel's first stand-alone superheroine film, CAPTAIN MARVEL. It's a bit of an odd choice, particularly when you consider that, in the past, Boden and Fleck have worked primarily on modestly-budgeted projects like HALF NELSON, SUGAR, IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, and MISSISSIPPI GRIND. It's a head-scratcher move for sure, but then again, no one saw Peyton Reed taking over for Edgar Wright on ANT-MAN either, and look at how well that turned out.
Recently, Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com sat down with Kevin Feige, and questioned him about what prompted his first meeting with Boden and Fleck. Feige begins by saying, "We cast a pretty wide net. It’s always based on people who’ve done things that we thought were interesting, at any level. We haven’t hired anybody who’ve never done a feature before, but what gets you in the room is doing interesting work in television and interesting work in features, both of which they’ve done. And then it’s about the conversation and the vision that we see.”
Feige was reportedly impressed with Boden and Fleck right off the bat, and kept persuing them on the down-low as the dual-directors for CAPTAIN MARVEL. “For us, what Anna and Ryan have done so spectacularly well in all of their movies, albeit on a much smaller scale than they’re about to do, is create a singular character journey," Feige said. "The stories they’ve told have been so diverse, but regardless of the subject matter, they can dive into it and hone in on that character’s journey.”
Woof, I sure hope that Feige's intuition is on the money. As a long-time reader of Carol Danvers' adventures as CAPTAIN MARVEL, I can tell you first-hand that, unless you're Kelly Sue Deconnick, Carol is not an easy character to write (let alone direct). Feige, when asked about how they plan to make CAPTAIN MARVEL's journey a compelling one, continued his interview session by stating, "That’s a big part of the story line we’re putting together, and it’s certainly been a big part of the development conversation. Particularly for Captain Marvel, which is going to have a lot of spectacle, it ultimately needs to be about the three-dimensional, multilayered Carol Danvers character. You have to be able to track her and follow her and relate to her at all points of the movie, regardless of how many visual effects and spaceships and bad guys are filling the frame. That’s what’s important.”
Indeed. Well, rest assured, Feige, Boden, and Fleck, fans will be scrutinizing your every move. Mwuahaha! I'm serious, though. CAPTAIN MARVEL is not just an important character to Marvel fans, her inaugural outing on the big screen will very much be a way for Marvel to test the waters with future plans for female-led superhero films. Provided that the film does well, and I have every confidence that it will, Carol Danvers is poised to be the superheroine that paves the way for many more ladies of the MCU to have their own silver screen solo efforts. Let's make it happen, people! Higher, further, faster, more!
CAPTAIN MARVEL starring Brie Larson will soar into theaters beginning on March 8, 2019