Ben Mendelsohn in Talks for Main Villain Role in Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half-Nelson) are in pre-production for their forthcoming contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the pair is looking to bring in a previous collaborator. Per Variety, Boden and Fleck’s Mississippi Grind star Ben Mendelsohn, an Emmy winner for his work on Netflix series Bloodline, is in talks to portray the main villain.

Oscar winner Brie Larson is set to portray Carol Danvers, the titular Captain Marvel, who gains the powers of super strength, flight and energy projection after her DNA is fused with that of an alien. According to producer and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the film will take place in the 1990s, with Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury (with both eyes this time). Feige also announced during the last San Diego Comic-Con that the shape-shifting Skrulls will be the villains of the story, with Variety reporting that Mendelsohn will portray the leader of the belligerent alien race.

Mendelsohn is an acclaimed character actor, with supporting roles in films like Animal Kingdom, Killing Them Softly and The Place Beyond the Pines. He has also portrayed villainous roles in blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises and, most significantly, in Rogue One. He is set to appear in the Gary Oldman-starring Darkest Hour, releasing Dec. 29, and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, releasing on March 30, 2018.

Captain Marvel will be written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet (of the forthcoming Tomb Raider reboot), rewriting a script from Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Meg LaFauve (Inside Out). The film will release on March 8, 2019, in between two massive Avengers films.