Kevin Feige Talks Captain Marvel’s Strength, Director Delays

This year has been a big one for Captain Marvel. The iconic character made headlines when Marvel Studios confirmed a film would be geared around the hero, or should I say heroine? Carol Danvers was selected to be the on-screen iteration of Captain Marvel, and Brie Larson was the lucky actress who nabbed the role. In the past month or so, updates on the film have slowed, leading fans to wonder about Danver's origin and the film's director.

And, now, Kevin Feige is easing those fans' curiosity.

Speaking with Vulture, the president of Marvel Studios told the site they've "been meeting [with] amazing filmmakers" and "expect to have a director by the end of the year." So far, the studio has been held up in their decision because of how much potential they see in Captain Marvel. Naturally, they want to be as intentional with the film as possible.

"With Captain Marvel, there's so much potential in the comics and there have been so many incarnations of her powers and the characters who've had that mantle that we've been focusing in on exactly how do we tell her origin," Feige said. "How does it fit into the cosmic side of our universe? How does it fit into what we're doing with the next Avengers movies? So really, that's what's been delaying that particular announcement."

The executive producer hinted Marvel Studios had a general view of how the movie would go. Now, they are meeting with directors to share that vision so the filmmakers can pitch back the story "in a better fashion."

Of course, fans have known for awhile that Marvel Studios had a certain vision for Captain Marvel in mind. Earlier this year, Feige said the film was "certainly an origin story."

"It's an origin story from the start," Feige teased. However, comic book fans shouldn't expect to see the heroine's origin lifted straight from their favorite pages. Screenwriters Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve said the character's humble beginnings would be changed to suit the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Perlman says she's never been more mindful about retconning a character's history than she is with Captain Marvel, but she said the change was a necessary one - and her reasoning has to do with the Green Lantern, of all things.

"Here's the thing, if you were just going to do a straight adaptation of the comics, her origin story is very similar to Green Lantern. And obviously, that's not what we want to do," Perlman said, nodding to Carol's canonical origin. "There's a lot of reinvention that needs to happen. And also, she's her own person and she's a great character. We have to be aware of what's happened in other Marvel film and makes sure that her particular storyline is unique and fun and also fits in within this world that's going on at the same time. It's a little bit of an interesting story gauntlet."

The character's origin won't be the only canon difference in the Marvel flick. According to Feige, Danvers will take over the Hulk's place as the strongest character in the Marvel Universe to be the Cinematic Universe's heavy-weight champ. The producer told Vulture, "She is as powerful a character as we've ever put in a movie. Her powers are off the charts, and when she's introduced, she will be by far the strongest character we've ever had."

Captain Marvel will hit theaters on March 8, 2019.

[H/T] Vulture