Having most recently appeared in Judd Apatow's R-rated comedy Trainwreck, Brie Larson is now reported as being in talks to lead Jordan Vogt-Roberts' Kong: Skull Island. Scripted in different phases by Max Borenstein and John Gatins, the film is expected to take place in 1971 Detroit, which takes it well out of the realm of the '30s-set original film and Peter Jackson's remake. Deadline first reported Larson as being in talks for the role.

Plot details are slim at the moment but Larson is a fantastic choice to play the lead in pretty much any project you can think of. She's shown her comedy chops in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, and plenty of TV shows, to name just a few. Larson also shines in indie pictures like Short Term 12, Don Jon, and The Spectacular Now. While on the surface it would be easy to make a comparison between Larson and Jurassic World's Bryce Dallas Howard as far as big, blockbuster action roles go, but Dallas Howard has had quite a few more genre pictures in her career. I'd be interested to see how Larson does in a movie that is likely to feature quite a bit of green screen and a tennis ball on a stick standing in for a giant gorilla.

The King Kong sequel currently stars Tom Hiddleston in the lead, though the creature feature recently lost J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton due to scheduling conflicts so Legendary is still in search of two male leads to replace them. One such name in consideration is Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe. We can expect some solid casting news soon since the studio plans to keep the film's shooting schedule intact with an end-of-the-year start. If that stands, Universal Pictures will open Kong: Skull Island on March 10, 2017.