Alison Brie awkwardly responds to rumors that she may play She-Hulk in Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series. Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk is already a force in the MCU thanks to his appearances in multiple films, including the Avengers movies, but thus far his female counterpart She-Hulk has been left out of the cinematic action.
But Disney and Marvel are set to remedy their She-Hulk oversight, at least to an extent, when the character receives her own spotlight series on Disney+. In comic book lore, She-Hulk was created when Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Susan Walters received a transfusion of his blood after an accident and developed Banner's same tendency to turn into a giant green beast when aroused by anger, though without losing her personality and intelligence in the bargain (essentially making her an early version of Smart Hulk). Over the years, She-Hulk would join several superhero crews including The Avengers and the Fantastic Four, but obviously never made as big a pop culture impact as Banner/The Hulk.
Disney is banking on She-Hulk being able to at least carry her own series though, and fan casting ideas have been flying all over the internet as a result. One popular pick to play She-Hulk among fans is GLOW star Brie, who revealed on The Late Late Show With James Corden that she's indeed aware of the She-Hulk rumors. In fact, Brie's awkward response to She-Hulk speculation on Twitter and elsewhere actually convinced Corden that the actress already has the gig. See the clip of Brie's appearance in the space below:
As Brie tells it in the clip, she knew nothing about the She-Hulk speculation involving her until she learned of a casting call from Disney looking for an "Alison Brie type." Corden immediately makes the obvious observation: that if Disney wants a Brie type, why not just call the real Brie? And Brie certainly does not shoot down the idea that she would be interested in the part were it to be offered. Corden then jokes that her reaction has him convinced she already is playing She-Hulk.
Indeed, Brie seems to be at the top of the fan wishlist of actresses to portray She-Hulk. Others who've been put forward include Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz (though she herself shot down the idea, saying scheduling conflicts would not allow her to take the role), Brie's GLOW co-star Betty Gilpin, Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick, Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie, Defenders actress Rosario Dawson and The Shallows' Blake Lively.
All the actresses listed above seem to share one trait in common: a talent for playing intelligent, fully-rounded characters combined with a proven ability to click over into action mode if need be. Which of course is the most important combination of abilities for anyone taking on the character of She-Hulk. However, if Corden is to be believed, the race for the lead role on She-Hulk is already over as Brie has it in the bag and is just playing coy. It will be interesting to see if the late night host is ultimately proven right.