Brie Larson in talks to portray Captain Marvel

LOS ANGELES, June 2 (UPI) -- Brie Larson has become the frontrunner to portray super heroine Captain Marvel in a upcoming film from Disney and Marvel.

First reported by Variety, the Room star is said to be the studio's first choice for the role with Larson in early negotiations to sign on.

A standalone film starring the character, which would be Marvel's first female-led project, is scheduled for release on March 8, 2019. Currently no director has been chosen to handle a script by Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman and Inside Out co-writer Meg LaFauve. Marvel gatekeeper Kevin Feige is producing.

Marvel wants to cast someone soon for Captain Marvel as it may plan to introduce the character early before her solo outing as they did with Tom Holland's Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.

Larson would portray the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel, the sixth Marvel hero to bear the name, who first debuted in 1968. Danvers, an air force pilot, is gifted with super strength and flight after her DNA is fused with an alien being. Recently, Danvers has become a staple of the Marvel comic book universe.

Larson, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in February, will next be seen in Kong: Skull Island.