'Captain Marvel' Finds Directors in Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck ('Half Nelson,' 'Mississippi Grind')

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck at the Film Independent at LACMA screening and Q&A of ‘Mississippi Grind’ at Bing Theatre At LACMA on Sept. 17, 2015. in Los Angeles (Photo: Araya Diaz/WireImage)

By Justin Kroll, Variety

Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson has found its directors.

Marvel has tapped Mississippi Grind helmers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to direct the upcoming tentpole.

Since announcing that the Oscar winner would be playing the titular superhero, the studio has taken its time in finding the film’s director, initially courting several women to take the helm.

Marvel was not available for comment.

The studio met with multiple contenders for the directing job, and sources say that Marvel not only wanted to make sure that the search was thorough, but that the script was in the right shape before signing a director.

Kevin Feige has an eye for tapping talent on the verge of breaking out, with James Gunn and the Russo Brothers as prime examples, and that looks to be the case again with this duo.

The studio was looking for a unique point of view heading into a new era of films where they want to grow and change in a certain way that fits that new environment.

Execs met with the two numerous times and the pair impressed the studio time and time again with their vision for the heroine. Boden and Fleck have experience in both the TV and film world, which Marvel considers a strength.

Captain Marvel, comic book style
Captain Marvel, a.k.a.. Carol Danvers, comic book style; she’ll be played on screen by Brie Larson (Marvel)

Best known for their character-driven dramas like Ryan Goslings Half Nelson (2006) and Ryan ReynoldsMississippi Grind (2015), Boden and Fleck also directed episodes for such popular TV series as Showtime’s The Affair and Billions.

Inside Out scribe Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman are currently writing the script, which follows Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident. The resulting alteration imbues her with the superpowers of strength, energy projection, and flight.

Feige is producing the pic.

The directors are repped by WME and Management 360.

Brie Larson on why Captain Marvel Matters:

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