Marvel Studios has announced the start of production on the upcomingCaptain Marvel, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the press release announces the below-the-line talent and synopsis, the big news is in the full cast list because it reveals thatClark Gregg’s Agent Coulson will be making his return to the big screen in the Marvel movies. Yes indeed, while Gregg has been anchoring the ABC seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we haven’t seen him in an MCU movie sinceThe Avengers, when his character supposedly died. For Phase One Coulson was the glue that held the MCU together, so to see him returning is a joy.
If you’re wondering how this works since Coulson is dead, wellCaptain Marvelis a prequel. The film tells the origin story of Carol Danvers, played by Oscar-winnerBrie Larson, and the synopsis for the 1990s-set film is as follows:
The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Also returning areGuardians of the GalaxyactorsDjimon HounsouandLee Pace, with the latter reprising his role as that film’s villain, Ronan. InGuardians, Ronan was a Kree zealot—a member of his race with fanatical ideas. Hounsou played his subordinate, Korath.
In the Marvel Comics, the Kree race is in a war with the Skrulls, the latter of which are the villains ofCaptain Marvel. The Skrulls have the ability to shapeshift, so many are theorizing thatCaptain Marvelwill reveal some heretofore unknown secrets about the MCU from the 90s.
Anna BodenandRyan Fleck, the filmmakers behindHalf NelsonandMississippi Grind, are directingCaptain Marvel, while the credited screenwriters includeMeg LeFauve(Inside Out),Nicole Perlman(Guardians of the Galaxy),Geneva Robertson-Dworet(Tomb Raider),Liz Flahive&Carly Mensch(GLOW), and Boden and Fleck. That’s, uh, a lot of writers.
Ben Davis, who shotDoctor StrangeandThree Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, will serve as cinematographer, andAndy Nicholson(Gravity) is the film’s production designer.
The full cast forCaptain Marvelis as follows: Brie Larson,Samuel L. Jackson,Ben Mendelsohn,Lashana Lynch,Gemma Chan,Algenis Perez Soto,Rune Temte,McKenna Grace, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, with Clark Gregg andJude Law.
Filming is taking place in the greater Los Angeles area, which will serve as the production homebase, but the production will also shoot on location in Fresno, California as well as locations in Louisiana, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Check out a behind-the-scenesCaptain Marvelimage below. The film opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
