Manuel here with what is arguably the most actressy news coming out of SDCC. The reigning Best Actress champ, one Ms Brie Larson will be joining the so-called MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Captain (née Ms) Marvel.
Brie was brought out during Marvel's panel at Comic Con where she got to join the casts of Dr. Strange (which boasts Oscar winner Tilda Swintin and nominees Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor), Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (which features Oscar nominees Bradley Cooper, Sylvester Stallone, and Glenn Close), and Black Panther (with Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o). That's all a long way of saying that the MCU is already stacked with Oscary talents. It's nothing new: after all, Iron Man starred 3 Oscar nominees and one winner back in 2008.
More on Brie's future after the jump
Call me Captain Marvel. pic.twitter.com/IgqRIb9ijM
— Brie Larson (@brielarson) July 24, 2016
My first thought upon hearing the news was, of course, to wonder whether we were losing our indie-darling Brie to the blockbuster. After all, the Room star was at SDCC to promote Kong: Skull Island—the King Kong reboot co-starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Goodman that, from the trailer (see below) looks like it's Jurassic Park meets King Kong minus the Jessica Lange/Naomi Watts romance that's been a staple of the franchise.
And so, as Brie preps herself for what will surely be a decade or so stint in the MCU (playing badass Captain Marvel which will be Marvel's first female-led solo flm), I wanted to remind us here at TFE of three upcoming small-scale films starring the Oscar winner coming our way in the next few years.
Basmati Blues
Director: Dan Baron
By the far the biggest question mark in Brie's upcoming slate is this romantic musical comedy about a brilliant scientist coming to terms with how her genetically modified rice will be putting rice farmers in India out of work. Back when the film was first announced it was dubbed a "Bollywood musical" but a cast member suggests that the film features "everything from Pearl Jam to Sugarland, and a Broadway-style number" so who knows.
The Glass Castle
Director: Destin Cretton
Brie reteams with her Short Term 12 director alongside Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts. It's based on Jeannette Walls' memoir of the same name and follows her upbringing by her nomad parents. As seen above, the film has been shooting in Montreal.
Free Fire
Director: Ben Wheatley
Wheatley follows up High-Rise with this gang shoot-out movie that sees Brie as Justine, the character who brokers a meeting between two warring gangs at a deserted warehouse. The film co-stars Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer.
While no release dates (or festival bows) are available for any of these, we can assume we might get to see them next year at the latest when surely Larson will have the biggest year of her career yet. And then, of course, we'll have Captain Marvel (2019!) and endless other MCU-adjacent cameos to look forward to. Here's hope she finds time to sneak in other interesting and off-kilter movies like the ones above.