Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for playing real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the biopic ‘Monster,’ but she’s also no stranger to sci fi action movies, playing the female leads in ‘Prometheus,’ ‘Æon Flux’ and the Will Smith super hero vehicle ‘Hancock’.
Even with her diverse filmography, it appears her ass-kicking role as Imperator Furiosa in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ may have put her in the express lane for her own super hero franchise, Marvel’s ‘Captain Marvel.’
However could it be that her real advantage isn’t any of her prior roles, but rather the fact that she’s friends with Angelina Jolie, whom Marvel is also pursuing for the project?
Take this with a huge grain of salt, because the source is perhaps the most dubious I’ve ever referenced– ‘US OK!’ magazine, the celebrity gossip tabloid that’s not as reputable as ‘People’ or ‘Us Weekly’, but more trustworthy than ‘Life & Style’ and ‘The Star.’
The latest issue of ‘OK!’ does actually graze upon the subject of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stating:
“[Theron and Jolie] are even hoping to work together on ‘Captain Marvel’, the comic giant’s upcoming first female-led superhero film.
The source said: “Marvel has been courting Angie to direct the project and Charlize is a clear fan favourite for the starring role. If Charlize were to get the part, Angie would almost certainly sign on to work with her new pal.”
Sounds totally legit, right? But let’s just play along.
It is true that Marvel is looking for a female director for ‘Captain Marvel’ just as as Warner Brothers hired Patty Jenkins to helm ‘Wonder Woman’. Jolie was already rumored to be on Marvel’s list of potential directors for ‘Captain Marvel’ after gaining critical acclaim for her two war-themed dramas ‘Unbroken’ and ‘In the Land of Milk and Honey.’
The character Captain Marvel began as Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot, SHIELD agent and Chief Field Leader of Homeland Security (among other jobs), so Jolie’s obvious interest in the military/war– especially used a backdrop to tell more intimate human stories– would prove beneficial.
It doesn’t hurt that Jolie is the most popular American actress worldwide. Even without appearing onscreen, her name will help sell the movie, especially in foreign markets.
The drawback is that Jolie only has two feature films under her belt and both are quite heavy. The Marvel movies’ strength is that they are exciting, but also fun AND funny. Can Jolie lighten up and deliver a summer popcorn flick?
As for Theron, her name has been flying around in connection to the title role since the film was announced. Many die-hards have been lobbying for other genre names like Katee Sackhoff, Emily Blunt and Yvonne Strahovski, but none is as big a name as Theron. Not that that’s a requirement. Chris Hemsworth wasn’t very well-known before he starred in ‘Thor.’
But Marvel’s next two movie headliners, Chadwick Boseman (‘Black Panther’) and Benedict Cumberbatch (‘Doctor Strange’) are also, for the most part, unknowns to the general public. Marvel may want to hedge its bets with their third new leading hero by choosing someone familiar to US movie-goers, but not so famous that they’d demand a huge paycheck, the same way the studio selected Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. This is especially important as every leading actor in Marvel’s movies is signed to numerous films, which could really add up over time if they agree to pay too large a sum.
What do you think of Charlize Theron as Captain Marvel in an Angelina Jolie-directed film? Sound off below!
Source: The Mary Sue
