As Marvel begins casting for its upcoming feature film The Eternals, the studio's production chief has said that the world is ready for a gay superhero.

According to the That Hashtag Show, Marvel has begun its search for an openly gay actor to play the lead role in its 2020 film.

Filming is scheduled to being in September in the UK.

While the studio has not shared any details of the identity of the gay character in The Eternals, Marvel executive Victoria Alonso told Variety that the world is ready for an openly gay superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“The world is ready, the world is ready,” Alonso said at the Los Angeles premiere of Captain Marvel.

“Our entire success is based on people that are incredibly different,” she added. “Why would we only want to be recognized by only one type of person?”

Marvel's latest film, Captain Marvel, is the studio's first female-led standalone superhero film. Captain Marvel, the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opens Friday in the United States.