Exciting News Just Dropped For Captain Marvel 2
The next installment of Captain Marvel has a new director at the helm.
Per an exclusive report by Deadline, filmmaker Nia DaCosta will take the reins for Captain Marvel 2, filling the seat vacated by Captain Marvel co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. As Deadline points out, this decision doesn't seem to be a knock on Boden or Fleck in any way; Marvel usually mixes up its directors as franchises continue, which can lead to fresh takes on familiar stories as superheroes stick around for multiple sequels.
Deadline also reports that Marvel met with several different directors — though it didn't get into any specifics on who those filmmakers were — but ultimately, DaCosta won this enormous gig over other contenders. Naturally, Brie Larson — who led the first film as Carol Danvers, a human who inadvertently ends up involved in an alien war after an explosion gives her incredible superpowers — will return for the sequel.
Nia DaCosta is a star on the rise
Involving DaCosta is definitely an exciting step for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and for the future of the Captain Marvel franchise.
After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts — and meeting one of her heroes, Martin Scorsese, during her time there — DaCosta got her start with her 2019 independent film Little Woods, which features MCU's own Valkyrie, Tessa Thompson, and Baby Driver's Lily James. In the aftermath of Little Woods, which was picked up and distributed by Neon and received glowing reviews from critics, it was clear that DaCosta was a name to watch.
Apparently, other directors took notice as well. When it came time for Academy Award winner Jordan Peele to find a director for his 2020 remake of Candyman, starring Watchmen and Aquaman actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, he handpicked DaCosta over other potential helmers. Due to the coronavirus crisis, it doesn't look like Candyman's theatrical release — slated for September 25, 2020 — will go as planned, but if early trailers are any indication, DaCosta has left her unique mark on this familiar story.
Clearly, the young director is just getting started, and Captain Marvel 2 is another huge win for her. Very few blockbusters are fronted by Black female directors, giving DaCosta the chance to join the ranks of acclaimed directors like Ava DuVernay (who helmed the box office smash A Wrinkle in Time) at just 30 years old.
Captain Marvel 2 is set to be released on July 8, 2022, and we can't wait to see where DaCosta takes this story next.