Captain Marvel and Black Panther cast announcements coming this summer

Anthony and Joe Russo have repeatedly stated that Avengers: Infinity War will be "the culmination of everything that has come before" and include pretty much every (living) hero in the MCU, but we haven't been introduced to everyone yet. Specifically, we're still waiting on some filmmaker and cast info for Captain Marvel, and Kevin Feige has confirmed that answers are coming soon.

"[You’ll have] a filmmaker and cast by the summer", the Marvel head honcho told iO9. "Maybe before. Maybe after. Filmmaker announcement first." This could mean that Marvel is returning to San Diego Comic-Con after missing it last year.

One character audiences will be introduced to very soon is Black Panther, who will be making his cinematic debut in Captain America: Civil War. While speaking to Collider, Feige gave some updates on the film's script and casting: "“Very soon. We have a number of writers on it including Ryan Coogler, who is also directing, he’s working on the draft right now. Between now and the end of the summer there will be more casting announcements. We start filming at the very beginning of next year."

Considering he wrote his two previous films, it's no surprise to hear that Coogler is writing as well as directing. After Civil War, Black Panther is easily my most anticipated Marvel film, and as a big fan of Fruitvale Station and Creed I'm really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. All in all, it sounds like Phase 3 of the MCU is shaping up rather nicely.

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther is released in UK cinemas on February 9, 2018 before opening in US theatres on February 16, 2018. Captain Marvel is currently scheduled for a March 8th, 2019 release.

Images: Marvel

Amon Warmann

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.