‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ cosmic baddie, Ben Mendelsohn is taking on another cosmic baddie role. Reportedly, he is in talks to play the antagonist in ‘Captain Marvel’. (Both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm LTD are owned by Disney.) It is unknown specifically which villain Mendelsohn will play, but Kevin Feige had previously disclosed that the villains of this film will be the shape-shifting Skrulls. Mendelsohn previously worked with directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck on the 2015 film ‘Mississippi Grind’. This will be his second comic book movie, after appearing in 2012’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
Brie Larson will portray the titular hero, also known as Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot who gains superpowers when her body becomes fused with alien DNA after an accident. The script has undergone a few rewrites, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet handling the latest draft, after Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman have contributed.
The Skrulls first appeared in 1962’s ‘Fantastic Four’ #2. They were at the center of the classic Avengers story ‘The Kree/Skrull War’ in which Carol played a role, but which really spotlighted the original Captain Marvel, Kree soldier Mar-Vell. Though ‘Captain Marvel’ will reportedly be set in the 1990s, there may be ties to other films, including ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ which showcased the Kree, the alien race that most heavily impacted Captain Marvel. Later, during ‘Secret Invasion’, the Skrulls used their shape-shifting powers to impersonate many different heroes, creating dissension in the ranks of the super community. Since ‘Captain Marvel’ is set in the past, could we see this infiltration, thus changing the entire face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
At this point, the only character other than Carol that is known to be appearing in ‘Captain Marvel’ is Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury.
As for Mendelsohn, he will next be seen in historical drama ‘The Darkest Hour’ in November. Next spring, he plays a role in Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated ‘Ready Player One‘ and next fall, he will menace Taron Egerton and Jamie Dornan as the Sheriff of Nottingham in ‘Robin Hood’.
‘Captain Marvel’ opens on March 8, 2019.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
