This weekend’s The Wolfman junket was always going to be ground zero for The First Avenger: Captain America news, although I’m surprised at how little of it we actually got. We ended up with a lot of stuff we already knew – like The Red Skull being the villain of the piece – getting confirmed, or stuff we had already reported on – like The Invaders being in the movie – fleshed out. Still, enough came from the junket that can be added to other facts we had about the film to really give us a picture of The First Avenger: Captain America.
Production
Since the film takes place mostly in Europe, Captain America will shoot in England. Joe Johnston will be using much of the same crew with whom he worked on The Wolfman, and he’s reteaming with cinematographer Shelly Johnson (who did fantastic work on The Wolfman), and they’ll be shooting digital, specifically with the Genesis camera. Talking to Johnston I told him my fears about DPs doing their first digital work, especially on period pieces, but the director insisted that Johnson had done days worth of tests and everybody was very happy with what they saw.
Pre-production is going on right now, and Johnston gets really into it on March 1st, when he relocates to England. Shooting begins in June.
Casting
As had been said by Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige many times in the past, Steve Rogers will be played by an American. Joe Johnston wants to cast an unknown (or relative unknown) in the part, and to surround him with better known actors. The appearance of The Invaders opens the door for a more international cast, and it’s quite possible that this is where some of the better known actors will be working. Johnston hopes to have his Captain America by March 1st, and he’s looking at a range of actors that stretches from their early 20s to their early 30s. He wants to cast a touch older than the average grunt, but it’s obviously important that they find someone who can anchor a franchise for a decade to come.
The only name that has surfaced in conjunction with the role is Ryan McPartlin, who lost out on the Superman role to Brandon Routh for Superman Returns and who is on the TV show Chuck.
The Story
The film will open and close with modern day bookends; the question becomes whether or not these bookends include Captain America waking up in the modern day or if it will be about others searching for his frozen body.
An interesting twist that’s already causing controversy is the idea that Captain America, being the only supersoldier the US government can create, will be too valuable as a PR tool to risk in combat and so will be relegated to USO shows. Dissatisfied with being stuck entertaining the troops as opposed to fighting alongside them, Steve Rogers will go AWOL. (via the LA Times)
The villain will be The Red Skull, as confirmed by Hit Fix, but nobody knows how that’s going to work. Will the Skull be wearing a mask or will he have a disfigured face? There are so many versions of the Captain America origin that it’s hard to be sure which version will show up here. That said, some things that I saw on the set of Iron Man 2 could give hints:
Howard Stark, Tony’s father, is going to be smeared in Iron Man 2, and elements of Howard’s work, such as the 1964 Stark Expo, will play a big role in the movie. But there’s more about Howard; going through his dad’s old stuff Tony discovers schematics for Captain America’s shield, a map of Antarctica and what appeared to me to be a German passport. We already know that Howard Stark plays a role in Cap’s origin, but could it be as a defector from Germany? In some versions of the Captain America origin the Super Soldier program is a response to the creation of the Red Skull (and in other versions it’s the other way around). Might Howard Stark have been involved in the creation of the Red Skull? That’s absolute speculation, but don’t be the least bit surprised when John Slattery, who is playing younger Howard Stark, ends up in the cast list for The First Avenger: Captain America.
Johnston revealed to me that the second half of the film will feature The Invaders, Marvel’s WWII superhero team. At Comic Con Kevin Feige had said that The Invaders would be a way of selling a film called Captain America to foreign audiences; while the real Invaders were mostly American, expect them to be more international in this film. Johnston said that there would be six Invaders, but there’s debate over whether that number includes Captain America himself. I suspect that it won’t – Captain America will work alongside The Invaders, but not as one of them. At least that’s my current guess.
One element that I teased from Kevin Feige last year at Comic Con that remains out of place is the fact that he namedropped HYDRA as a part of Marvel’s fictional WWII that could be important for The First Avenger: Captain America. HYDRA is a terrorist group in the Marvel Universe, and their very long history (like they’ve been retconned into beginning in Ancient Egypt kind of long history) includes WWII, and involvement with the Red Skull. Could HYDRA be Red Skull’s personal army in Captain America? Or could it be revealed as a secret society that’s actually pulling the strings behind Hitler? Setting up HYDRA in The First Avenger: Captain America feels like something that might pay off in The Avengers.
Of course that leads to a whole set of rumors and speculation about what might be in The Avengers…
The Costume
Johnston tells the LA Times that Cap will have two costumes in the movie. The first will be the very familiar version of his togs, which he’ll wear in the USO show. Once he goes AWOL he’ll discover that his persona makes him an effective leader of men, so he dons a modified, combat-ready version of the costume.
It’s most likely that the new costume will look a lot like what Captain America wore in the WWII issue of The Ultimates, complete with armor and a helmet. I like this idea because it simply makes sense – sending a guy out in a gaudy costume to a war zone is essentially asking for him to be shot immediately. That bright blue outfit makes Cap a complete target and utterly undermines his operational capability in a real life combat situation.
And Bucky?
This is the weirdest oversight -as of right now I can’t find a single story that has Johnston confirming or denying the presence of Bucky in the movie. There’s a version of Bucky in the 90s miniseries The Adventures of Captain America, Sentinel of Liberty that feels like it would fit perfectly in this film: a brash street tough who befriends the completely square Steve Rogers, this Bucky could help Steve go AWOL. That’s totally speculation, of course, and with production beginning this summer, we should know quite soon.
28 comments
I don't know why, but I think Channing Tatum is going to get the role of Cap… I like Ryan McPartlin, but I don't know if Joe is a "Chuck" fan….
McPartlin's too wooden even with the comedy background.
Nice article! Well done.
I think Ed Brubaker's Bucky would be perfect for the storyline they are pushing. Cap is bright and rallies the troops. But Bucky goes on the secret missions killing the German soldiers when Cap can't. He's used more to protect Cap than as a cute side kick and is a fully trained soldier.
I have to say,the whole USO angle sounds completely terrible. The US Govt creates a one-of-a kind Super Soldier…and then uses him as Bob Hopes straight man? And are they going to let any of the great Marvel writers who have worked on Cap in the past have a pass at the screenplay,like they did with Iron Man? 'Cause that could make all the difference in the world….
^^^^ Absolutely. Brubaker's Barnes. Special Forces Assassin Bucky paired with Cap to do the dirty stuff that the "symbol of America" can't be seen doing. It would completely rule. AND, they can "kill him off" in the end with an explosion and no body, and they don't even have to bring him back for Avengers. To the average audience, it will be a sad moment that they killed Cap's only friend. To the fans, they'll know Winter Soldier is waiting in the wings for a future film if they want.
Please, god, not Channing Tatum – don't even say that out loud on the internet. The only guy I know who has an "acting" career more devoid of personality, warmth, believability or talent than Sam Worthington, is Channing Tatum.
Seriously. Find an actor, a real actor, and make him a star, don't find a guy with a face that's been in a movie, and make us suffer through the movie because of him.
@longbowhunter- the Marvel writers never took a pass at the screenplays, they only consult on the films, spitball ideas & make suggestions. I would imagine the writers & Marvel studios are okay with the USO idea.
Bucky is stupid. I man really really stupid. Even asking if he will be in the movie is embarrassing. Let's all agree to never speak of him again.
THe USO idea rocks. It works and makes sense.
Cap is used to get people to join and sell war bonds.
Allthough I can see why some fanboys would through a fit.
If Channing Tatum is in it. please let him be Bucky! Bucky Dies right?
I'm sure they can find a good unknown actor. It can't be that hard, If Hollywood thinks that Tatum is good. All they would then have to do is go to a restuarant in LA and hire a waiter. Bam. already right there a better actor than Tatum
i think captain awesome deserves an opportunity, i like him!
Why was this article called "What We Know About the Captain America Movie"?? How many times can you say "I don't know" and "that's purely speculation" before the article is pointless…
Ed Brubaker has performed miracles with his run on Captain America. First, he broke the Golden Rule of comics, which is "Only Bucky stays dead", and did it in a way that's believable and made Bucky one of the strongest characters on the Marvel roster. Also, he made Steve Rogers the most IMPORTANT character in the Marvel universe, without him even being around for the most part. Now that he's back, it'll be interesting to see how he's used. I too once thought that Bucky was a joke, but Brubaker, Bendis, and the rest of Marvel's core writing team have retroactively made him a bad-ass by exploring the darker corners of Marvel's Golden Age and revealing that Bucky Barnes was the one running around snapping necks in the background while Cap was the shiny object that drew everyone's attention. If you go back and re-read (or better yet, read it for the first time) Brubaker's Cap series from the first issue on, it reads like it had been Bucky's book all along. I always found it funny that everyone just took Cap's word for it that Bucky was D-E-A-D, when Cap HIMSELF, at the time, had just returned to the land of the living. In hindsight, a guy that was supposed to have been dead for decades telling the Avengers that ANOTHER guy was totally dead, and no one questioning it at all, IS quite the plot hole, but unlike other ridiculous plot holes, it's gone on to fuel one of the best comic storylines in decades.
"That bright blue outfit makes Cap a complete target and utterly undermines his operational capability in a real life combat situation."
Oh yes, Mr Internet Critic, please bless us with your superior knowledge of military tactics, no doubt gathered from endless hours of Modern Warfare 2.
checkout,Alexander Skarsgård background. definitely should be considered for Capt.
roles such as Generation kill and true blood.
Don't shoot digital! Especially for a period piece — it looks too clean and too artificial. That's strike one in my book. I want to like Joe Johnston, I genuinely love The Rocketeer, but he's kinda only one or two steps above Brett Ratner in terms of directing talent. They're both studio whores. Then again, I'm an anonymous internet critic who makes sandwiches for a living — what the fuck do I know.
how about cheyenne jackson?
minor doubt: DPs = directors of photography?
@#15… are you disagreeing with Devin's assessment of bright, gaudy combat outfits? Or are you just being a douche?
#15–The military uses camoflage. That's so that soldiers are harder to see. That's so that they won't get shot. They don't use bright blue because trees are green, the desert is brown, etc. The soldier would be seen and shot. That's common sense and requires little military knowledge.
If you're going to whine about Devin say something that makes sense.
Hey Joe, why haven't you called me? I still got the chops. Besides, I think I heard that Matt Salinger died a couple of weeks ago. Seriously, call me broham.
So is DC getting prepped for a General Glory trilogy?
I maintain, ANYONE who thinks Caps costume is cool the way it is, is a seriously deluded fanboy. His costume is, and has always been, silly, and the ONLY reason he is a cool character is because of freakishly good writers like Brubaker who has legitimized the character. Cap is a cool character now, but he hasnt always been, and refining some of his sillier character elements is what has made him relevant. So far everything Ive heard about this movie has given me faith that they are going in the right direction. And so far Ryan McPartlin is the best casting Ive heard. I checked him out on Chuck last night and Im sold.
Heard someone tossing around the nam Jeremy Renner. Would he be considered a relative unknown?
"I maintain, ANYONE who thinks Caps costume is cool the way it is, is a seriously deluded fanboy."
You're missing the point. The costume is symbolic. Captain America is a living symbol. Just as the Red Skull (even on a visual level) was meant to instill fear in the allies, Captain America was meant to inspire hope. And also serve as a symbol to the Axis of Allied resolve. He wasn't a regular soldier. Steve Rogers was something special, through his physique, training, and character. The costume made him, as the super-soldier, unquestionably AMERICAN in the eyes of anyone around him. That was the @#$%!!! point. He wasn't meant to hide or sneak around. He was meant to be in the enemy's face, taking the hits regular soldiers couldn't take. Bringing it, in other words.
(And for anyone claiming his costume was problematic because it made him a "target," you DO know he carries a piece of indestructible armor with him, don't you?)
@#26… you hit the nail on the head… you've summed up perfectly the whole point of Cap's existence/creation… that's why I think the whole "USO" angle that Johnston is talking about will be a believable way to introduce the look of the character.
Speaking of which… I believe the whole point for putting Cap in the USO will be due to the fact that he is the only one of his kind… the scientist who developed the serum/process that creates Cap was murdered by a Nazi saboteur in the comics before anymore super soldiers could be made… he kept the process a secret from everyone in order to keep it from falling in the wrong hands… I bet this is what will happen in the movie, and in order to replicate the process from scratch, the military will want to keep Steve Rogers alive… hence they put him in the USO as a morale booster… by the way, I bet he won't actually be singing and dancing… he will probably be doing tricks like lifting Jeeps, breaking bricks with his fists, demonstrating his shield, etc.
I also think of all the candidates up for the role, McPartlin should get it… he just looks (and sounds) the part to me.
Comments are shown as archived from the original site; new comments are closed.