Natalie Portman Says a Female-Led Marvel Movie Is Coming

We know that Marvel Studios has longterm plans for the future, with various "phases" set until near the end of the decade. However, we haven't heard of any concrete plans for a movie starring a female superhero -- at least not yet. But according to 'Thor: The Dark World' star Natalie Portman, we may be closer to a female-driven Marvel movie than we think.

Speaking with SciFiNow, the Oscar-winning star of 'Black Swan' (and 'Thor,' of course) said that she's not only looking forward to a woman superhero, but that she's heard a film is on the way. Here's the full quote:

There are definitely many strong women, but it will be exciting when there is a central female character which I think is coming -- I have heard is coming -- and, of course, also a central non-white character will also be exciting. Title characters ... But they do definitely have strong female characters in them and I think it’s a testament to the people who run Marvel, their respect, their just normal human respect for women, the way they want to characterise them; you can tell when men talk to you, as just a person or as a ‘woman.'

Portman's statement echoes a rumor that swept the internet a few weeks back that a 'Captain Marvel' film was in development and that 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Riddick' star Katee Sackhoff was being eyed to play the character. However, the actress recently stated that those rumors have been greatly exaggerated. Of course, the buzz that Portman heard could also be the same rumors that we've heard, but, hey, we're going to assume that the leading lady on a superhero movie knows a little more about what's going on than we do. At least we hope so.

As Portman says, the Marvel movies have featured plenty of strong female characters, from Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow to Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts to Jaimie Alexander's Sif. In fact, Marvel's smart attempt to seemingly cover all genres and audiences with their movies means that they've surely considered building a movie around one of Marvel's many terrific strong women. If the team is considering a Captain Marvel movie, they're making the right choice.

'Thor: The Dark World' opens on November 8. Which female superhero would you like to see on the big screen? Let us know in the poll below!