The Russo Brothers Endorse Anna Kendrick for Squirrel Girl, Plead the Fifth on Captain Marvel in 'Infinity War'

Kevin Polowy
·Senior Correspondent, Yahoo Entertainment

Anna Kendrick recently suggested that she’d make an excellent Squirrel Girl, one of the more obscure superheroes in the Marvel world. That might be a long shot campaign, but she’s already got two powerful boosters on her side: MCU keymasters and directors of Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War Joe and Anthony Russo.

“It would be perfect casting, and we’re huge Anna Kendrick fans,” Joe Russo told Yahoo Movies this week while promoting the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release of the summer mega-hit Civil War.

The Squirrel Girl idea came up in a recent interview the Pitch Perfect star did with Net-A-Porter. “My brother sent me a Squirrel Girl comic because he thinks I should [play her],” she told the magazine. “I don’t know what Squirrel Girl does other than be half squirrel, but I could be half squirrel!” Soon afterwards, Kendrick’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World director Edgar Wright — the original helmer of Marvel’s Ant-Man — voiced his support on Twitter, writing, ‘Get @AnnaKendrick47 a Squirrel Girl film.’

As exciting as that idea might be, Anthony Russo quickly countered that the brothers have their “hands full trying to tell the story we have with our preexisting characters” in the 2018 supes ensemble Avengers: Infinity War. “Anthony would probably die from exhaustion if we introduced another character,” Joe said before Anthony hinted, “That’s not to say we’re not going to introduce a new character.”

Like, say, Captain Marvel, as has been widely speculated?

“If they ever cast that role, maybe,” Anthony replied, clearly joking. “Do you know if they’ve cast it yet?” The part, of course, has already gone to Room Oscar winner (and Kendrick’s Scott Pilgrim costar) Brie Larson, a casting that was made official during Marvel’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Turning genuine, the co-director added, “That’s one we’re going to have to plead the fifth on.”

Brie Larson at San Diego Comic-Con
Brie Larson at San Diego Comic-Con

Earlier this year, the filmmaking duo revealed that they had “a board with 67 characters on it” that would be narrowed down to form the lineup of Infinity War, the first of two upcoming Avengers clashes with the supervillain Thanos. (The still-untitled follow-up is scheduled for 2019.)

Asked if they’d narrowed the board down yet from that ambitious number, the Russo Bros. had more jokes. “Yeah, it’s down to 66,” Joe said. “Remember Dr. Fine, [the S.H.I.E.L.D. surgeon] from Winter Soldier? He’s off the board. Wanted too much money.”

Too bad for the actor who played Dr. Fine… Joe Russo.

Captain America: Civil War hits Digital HD on Sept. 2 and Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand Sept. 13. Look for our full coverage on Yahoo Movies.

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