Sources tell Deadline that Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw) is set to star in the sequel to the highly anticipated Captain Marvel as the main villain and will fight against Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Nia DaCosta (directed reboot of Candyman) will direct the next installment in the Marvel franchise. The story editor on the Disney Plus hit series WandaVision, Megan McDonnell, wrote the script.
Other cast members include Iman Vellani, who will reprise her role as Ms. Marvel from the forthcoming Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau from WandaVision. The release is slated for a theatrical release on Nov. 11, 2022.
The film Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers, a human who becomes involved in the war between two alien races, the Kree and the shape-shifting Skrulls—surviving an explosion connected to an alien engine that infused her with immense strength, turning her into Captain Marvel. One of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ashton is best known for Netflix’s Velvet Buzzsaw, an art parody, starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. She starred with Tom Hiddleston in the Broadway revival of Betrayal. Her other credits include the thriller Nocturnal Animals, psychological horror film Greta and TV series comedy Fresh Meat that ran for four seasons.
Neither Disney nor Marvel Studios have made any comment yet on the casting news of Ashton.