‘Captain Marvel’ Director Search Comes Down to Three

While a definitive answer may be still a while in coming, The Hollywood Reporter suggests there are currently three top contenders to direct Marvel’s upcoming superhero entry Captain Marvel. All three candidates are women, seeming directive for the studio for putting together their first female-centric standalone title. Oscar winner Brie Larson (Room) has already been confirmed to headline the feature as Carol Danvers, the Air Force pilot who earns superpowers after her DNA is fused with that of an alien. Meg LaFauve (Inside Out) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) penned the screenplay.

The three candidates as of now are Niki Caro, Lesli Linka Glatter and Lorene Scafaria. This comes from a list that reportedly also included directors Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) and Jennifer Yuh (Kung Fu Panda 2).

Caro made an international splash with the 2002 film Whale Rider, a film that earned its young lead – Keisha Castle Hughes – a lead actress Oscar nomination. Since then, she directed both Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand to Oscar nominations in the work place sexual assault drama North Country and most recently released McFarland, USA with Kevin Costner. Her next film is The Zookeeper’s Wife starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl.

Glatter is a notable television director, currently up for an Emmy Award for an episode of Homeland she directed last season. She has also directed episodes of The Good Wife, Mad Men, Ray Donovan and The West Wing. She also has two features film under her belt – the 1998 romance The Proposition – which starred Madeleine Stowe and Kenneth Branagh and the 1995 coming-of-age title Now and Then starring Christina Ricci and Gaby Hoffmann.

Scafaria most recently wrote and directed this spring’s indie hit The Meddler starring Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne. She also both wrote and directed the apocalypse dramedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World with Steve Carell and Keira Knightley and made her writing debut on the cult 2008 romance Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

The next step in the process will involve Marvel sending each a Captain Marvel treatment followed by each candidate’s presentation. Stay tuned.