The era of heroine movie stars is upon us and finally getting their rightful time in the spotlight. Superheroes like Black Widow, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel have become worldwide role models, and shows like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and The Witcher have housed fierce women right alongside the men. The train doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon, with several more prominent heroine projects on the horizon. With that being said, one project centered around a female hero has been at a stand-still for decades, and it's high time that the character gets her proper justice - that character is Samus.
Long known as one of the first female-led video-game franchises, Metroid has been in development hell for years, and there aren't too many signs that it will be happening any time soon. However, now is the absolute perfect time for the studios to rack their brains and do everything they can to make a Metroid movie happen because all the stars have finally aligned for it to work. First, the era of female heroes has made it the perfect time for audiences to flock to theaters to see Samus in a Metroid movie. And second, the perfect actress has risen from the shadowy depths of Hollywood and has made her presence known among superhero/sci-fi fans. That actress is Jennifer Holland, and here is why she's the perfect Samus.
Jennifer Holland Looks the Part
Let's get the most obvious and inconsequential part out of the way -- Holland looks like Samus. With the effects and makeup that Hollywood possesses in 2022, that's not really a factor. Even if Holland looked nothing like Samus, they could easily alter her appearance to achieve the desired effect. Not to mention, there are plenty of other strong female actresses who also look the part (Katheryn Winnick, Brie Larson, Mackenzie Davis, etc.). Regardless, it can't be ignored that having Holland look so much like the character gives the actress an extra boost towards her candidacy for the role. After all, it's much easier to picture any actor or actress as a character if they naturally look like them.
Jennifer Holland Proved Herself in Peacemaker
Holland has been in Hollywood for some time now, with a handful of acting credits in the past several years, but it was her breakout performance in Peacemaker that put her on everybody's radar. Starring as Emilia Harcourt, Holland played a female agent tasked with (essentially) babysitting Peacemaker (John Cena) while they attempted to thwart a worldwide alien invasion. Given the fact that Peacemaker was a legitimate superhero and Harcourt was just a regular non-enhanced human, it was pretty impressive to watch her go toe-to-toe with Peacemaker and be just as effective at killing and combat.
That being said, Harcourt was just a regular person with no enhanced skills or weapons. Even though Holland played the role to perfection and made the character a fan favorite, it also left audiences wondering how awesome Harcourt would be if she had any sort of enhanced abilities or gear. Perhaps like a bright-orange Power Suit equipped with an Arm Cannon, Missiles, a Grapple Beam, and could turn into a Morph Ball.
James Gunn could Direct
James Gunn has proven time and again that he is one of the best directors when it comes to adaptations, with projects like Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker becoming massive hits. Since James Gunn was also the director of Suicide Squad and Peacemaker (the two projects that featured Holland as Harcourt), it would only make sense that Gunn should be brought in to direct a Metroid movie. Now, in the era of superheroines, it probably makes more sense to have a woman direct a woman-led project. However, Gunn could still be brought in as a consultant or co-director to help lend any experienced assistance. Another reason why Gunn should be part of the project is that Holland also appeared in Gunn's independent superhero project, Brightburn, back in 2019. She only had a minor role, but it never hurts in Hollywood to have actors familiar with the directors that they're working for.
Oh, and the final cherry on top of why Gunn should direct a Holland-led Metroid movie -- they're engaged. That's right, Gunn and Holland are a couple and have been together for quite some time, announcing their engagement back in February. Despite the fact that a Metroid movie has been in development hell for years and several other actresses could still play the role well enough, Jennifer Holland has quickly proven that she is the perfect actress in the perfect position in the perfect era to make a Metroid movie finally happen.