Variety is reporting today that Marvel has tapped Mississippi Grind directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to helm the upcoming Captain Marvel, which has Brie Larson attached to play the titular hero. It’s been a long, long search for a director for the film, and to date, this is the first time Boden and Fleck have popped up in relation to the job. As such, it’s surprising to hear of their involvement, but we’re certainly not disappointed by Marvel’s choice.
That being said, the studio has always told us that they’d have a female director steering the ship on this project, and while they do have that in the form of Boden, some may be upset to hear that she won’t be going at it alone. Still, both filmmakers did excellent work with the aforementioned Mississippi Grind and also Half Nelson, not to mention some credits on television shows like Billions and The Affair.
This isn’t the first time that Boden and Fleck have flirted with Marvel, either, as the pair were initially eyed to direct Guardians of the Galaxy back before James Gunn took that job. It was their vision for Carol Danvers though that finally won the studio over. “Execs met with the duo many times before they decided to go with them and time and time again [sic] they impressed with what they wanted to do with this character,” says Variety.
While they may not be the most exciting choice to direct, given who else was in the running, both Boden and Fleck are promising up and coming filmmakers and we’re looking forward to seeing what they do with the property. If nothing else, the Mississippi Grind helmers are another outside-the-box choice from the studio and seeing as Marvel hasn’t let us down yet, we have full faith in their decision here.
Captain Marvel will fly into theaters on March 8th, 2019.