Ever since the first female superhero-led movie was announced two years ago, we've been wondering who might play the lead.

The superhero in question is Captain Marvel, and not the original alien version Mar-Vell (geddit?) either. Nope, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said at the time: "I want to make it very clear that this Captain Marvel's name is Carol Danvers."

Carol, originally a spin-off character called Ms. Marvel, dropped the "Ms." and became the new Captain Marvel in 2012. She can fly, she has superhuman strength, and she can shoot energy blasts, all of which will require a lot of jumping around on set like this:

https://twitter.com/wikipediabrown/status/717524432248438784

So the news late yesterday (June 1) that this year's Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson is the front runner for the role caught us off guard.

Sure, she was astonishing in Room, and her upcoming slate, including Kong: Skull Island, musical rom-com Basmati Blues, and thriller Free Fire from director Ben Wheatley (High Rise), suggest a broad range of roles. But that's nothing compared to boarding the MCU, which can involve commitment to multiple movies over a number of years.

Variety is reporting that she is "in early talks" to star in the film, with sources suggesting that she's the front-runner and "leaning towards playing the part."

No director is attached yet, but Variety suggests that the studio wants to have a star lined up early so she can be introduced in a different Marvel movie before her solo entry in 2019, like Tom Holland's debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. So far the studio itself has not made any comment.