Jessica Chastain Talks Possible Superhero Role With Marvel [Update]

Ms Marvel Carol Danvers Marvel Comics

Right now, Marvel Studios' immediate focus is on the highly-anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the company is always looking ahead to the future. Last week, Kevin Feige officially confirmed their slate of Phase 3 projects, which will hit theaters between 2016 and 2019.

There were several big takeaways from those announcements, and chief among them was that Marvel was going to diversify their superhero roster by releasing their first movies led by an African-American (Black Panther) and a woman (Captain Marvel). We know that Chadwick Boseman is locked in to play the King of Wakanda - but who will take the role of Carol Danvers?

It could very well be Interstellar star Jessica Chastain. In an interview with MTV, the actress revealed that she has had talks with Marvel about possibly signing on for a film at some point down the line:

“We’ve talked about aligning our forces in the future. And here’s the thing with me… If you’re going to be in a superhero movie, you only get one chance. You’re that character forever. So why do a superhero movie and play the boring civilian?”

This isn't the first time that Chastain has had discussions with Marvel. You may recall that she was once in line to play Maya Hansen in Iron Man 3 before dropping out due to scheduling issues. Her "boring civilian" comment could be interpreted as a criticism of that character, but she obviously has a good relationship with the studio, if she has entered talks once again.

Evangeline Lily Ant-Man Hairdo Wasp

Chastain hasn't been shy about her desire to appear in one of these productions, recently campaigning to portray one of the leads, take part in fight scenes and wear a "cool costume."  Now that Marvel is going to bring Captain Marvel to the big screen, the stars may have aligned for her wish to come true. That is a character that meets all of Chastain's qualifications, after all.

When pressed for further details about her meeting with the powers that be at Marvel, Chastain only had this to offer:

“There was one thing. I don’t want to say too much – but there was one thing, there was a possibility in the future of the character becoming… And I was like, ‘I understand that, but I want to do it now.’ ”

Not much to go off of, but it's still some pretty interesting insight. Rumors that Captain Marvel would be appearing in The Avengers 2 have been circulating for some time, and while the heroine won't be a key figure in the battle against Ultron, Marvel has never been hesitant about teasing what's to come in their now-famous post-credit button scenes. It's also possible that the role in question was one depicted in its pre-super days (such as Ant-Man's potential 'Wasp').

Chastain mentioning "the future" of her potential character has us thinking she'll be signed up for the long-term (if she does take a role), and making a brief cameo in one of those teasers would be a solid way of introducing her character while setting her up for what she will become down the line.

Jessica Chastain Captain Marvel
Jessica Chastain in 'Interstellar'

Chastain stressing the word "now" when expressing her feelings on playing a superhero would seemingly take Ms. Marvel out of the equation, since that film won't hit theaters until July 2018. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the character won't appear until that movie is released. Black Panther won't get a solo vehicle until November 2017, but Boseman will make his Marvel debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Theoretically, the same strategy could be used for Danvers.

It wasn't too long ago that Feige was teasing that Avengers 3 could be using an "altered" roster from what we've seen before, and if that's the plan, then the studio will be looking to introduce some of those newcomers before the first part of Infinity War comes out (so casual viewers can become acquainted with them). In keeping with Marvel's history, they'll most likely lay hints about Captain Marvel's existence prior to an actual on-screen appearance, and the cameo scenario is very much in play.

Of course, Chastain could be talking about a different role altogether, but from where we're sitting, all roads point towards Ms. Marvel being the part she's up for. Whether she'll be willing to wait on the sidelines until the newcomers get their moment to shine is up for debate right now, but Chastain is a talent Marvel would be wise to scoop up and if she's this excited about the proposition, she'll probably find a way to make it work.

[Update: Chastain has confirmed that the role in question was most certainly NOT Captain Marvel.]

Oops uh oh....I've never had talks about Captain Marvel. Was referring to a different film from over a year ago, in my recent MTV interview.

— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) November 4, 2014

NEXT: The New Marvel Superhero Movies



Jessica Chastain will star in Interstellar opening in theaters on Friday.

Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisAgar90.

Source: MTV

Godzilla stands in Final Wars poster
Godzilla Joins Instagram & Twitter For The First Time

More in Movie News