Brie Larson is in early talks to take on the role of Captain Marvel in the studio’s first standalone female superhero film.

According to Variety, the Oscar-winning star of Room is reportedly circling the project with rumours suggesting that the character would initially be introduced in another Marvel film.

Angelina Jolie was a mooted director but no official announcement has been made. The screenplay will be written by Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman, who co-wrote Guardians of the Galaxy.

Captain Marvel, one of the company’s most popular female superheroes, starts out as Carol Danvers, an air force pilot involved in an accident that combines her DNA with that of an alien. This then leads to her possessing super strength. She’s also been seen as an important feminist character, fighting for equal pay.

Larson has a busy slate post-Room with roles in Ben Wheatley’s thriller Free Fire, Bollywood comedy Basmati Blues and blockbuster reboot Kong: Skull Island all in the can. She’s also set to star in coming of age drama The Glass Castle alongside Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson.

Captain Marvel is set for release in 2018.