The Captain Marvel cast is nearly complete after Benedict Cumberbatch joined to play the role of Doctor Strange in the first female-led Marvel superhero film since Elektra in 2005. On the other hand, DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, scheduled for release in 2017, will be the first female-led DC Comics superhero film since Catwoman in 2004. So after a long period of waiting, it finally looks as though a few more female-led superhero movies could follow.

In the Captain Marvel film, Benedict Cumberbatch joins Paul Rudd, who will play Ant-Man and Chadwick Boseman, who takes the role of Black Panther. Both Paul Rudd and Cumberbatch have their own standalone movies. Cumberbatch’s Doctore Strange is due for release on November 4, while Rudd’s Ant-Man was released on July 17, 2015, in North America.

Captain Marvel is a 2019 superhero film which revolves around a female with powers gained after her human genes fused with those of a Kree, an alien race recently featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Captain Marvel’s real name in the 2019 movie will be Carol Danvers. In the movie, while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Danvers is exposed to an explosion of a device created by the Kree, which results in her mutated genes. She becomes strong, is able to fly, and gains precognitive abilities, and she is also able to absorb and project energy.

The character of Captain Marvel is one of the very first superhero characters in the Marvel cinematic universe. It was first created by Gerry Conway in 1977, and later by Chris Claremont. Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers’ role in the upcoming film is yet to be filled and the search continues.

‘Captain Marvel’ Cast Update: Will Emily Blunt, Natalie Dormer, Rebecca Ferguson Or Katee Sackhoff Land The Role? https://t.co/F5J1AheLSi — Sunia Mukherjee (@suniamukherjee) March 12, 2016

A few names have been floated for consideration including Emily Blunt, (Into the Woods, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War), Natalie Dormer, (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2, and Captain America: The First Avenger), and Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Prometheus, and Hancock), among others.

The Inquisitr also reported in October last year that Olivia Wilde had declared her interest in taking the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the Captain Marvel movie.

@MarkDuplass @reedmorano I'm starting my @Marvel diet immediately. Egg shells and jet fuel only, right? Who says indie kids can't go pro?! — olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) October 21, 2015

However, since then, her interest seems to have cooled off. Nonetheless, regardless of the lengthy period that’s being taken to fill the role of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, the producer of the film, Kevin Feige, is confident that the right cast member will be found for the role.

The Marvel Studios president last year talked in depth with regard to filling the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, assuring Marvel Cinematic universe fans that it could take a lot longer than they think.

”There won’t be any announcements about that this year. I think right now we’re scripting the film, figuring out who we want Carol Danvers to be, and really what the structure of the movie will be and what her part will be in some of our other Phase 3 films. And it would be next year that we start to really think about casting.”

The names have come out, but that one and very important slot still remains unfilled. Jeremy Latcham, the producer of Marvel Studios said that when fans forward lists of potential cast members in a movie, they are considered for inclusion. This means that given the several names that have been mentioned here and in other media outlets, one of them could end up filling the role of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.

“We always have a clear sense of who we want to cast and who we’re interested in. We have amazing casting directors – Sarah Finn, who’s been with us since Iron Man – but at the same time, when a fan list comes out we read [suggested names], we go through it, we read the comments, we look at who people like. Sometimes it’s really enlightening. Sometimes it’s the exact same person that they’ve been saying over and over again that we don’t think is right. It’s always fun to kinda go through it and see what people are up to”

Captain Marvel will be released on March 8, 2019, which happens to be on Women’s Day. Since the lead character is a woman, some superhero fans are wondering whether the release date was selected on purpose. Captain Marvel has been played by many characters down the years, and in the 2019 movie, Marvel film producers chose Carol Danvers to play the role. With Wonder Woman coming in 2017, Captain Marvel will have certain targets to meet when it comes out in 2019 as superhero fans and Box Office analysts draw comparisons.

[Image via Marvel]