It’s looking like The Avengers is going to be rounding out the staff of the spy organization SHIELD with another member. It is being reported that How I Met Your Mother cast member Cobie Smulders is up for the role of SHIELD agent Maria Hill for the superhero franchise mashup.
Last week, Samuel L Jackson stated in an interview that he was screen testing with five actresses vying for a role as “his sidekick.” Out of a pack that included Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smulders is apparently the frontrunner. Although some fans would probably have handicapped Baccarin as the best bet to get the job given her previous working relationship with Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon on the series Firefly and its film spinoff Serenity, Smulders had been Whedon’s stated top choice to play Wonder Woman when he was attempting to get that comic book adaptation off the ground at Warner Brothers a few years back.
For those not heavily versed in the Marvel Comics world, Maria Hill is a high-ranking SHIELD agent who was appointed head of the organization for a brief time.She and her boss Nick Fury (Jackson) did not always see eye to eye.
Despite her previous connection with Whedon, Smulders is an interesting choice for the role. A majority of her work has been comedic and there is very little film work. Her casting also makes a character heavy film that much heavier. Still, given that Whedon is well-known for writing strong women characters and juggling large ensemble casts, I doubt that this will collapse under its own weight the way the film could under a less skilled director.
Via Deadline.
