Marvel is really wanting to roll out all of the big name superheroes. Sounds like Mr. Self is planning on adapting every superhero movie from now until doomsday (the actual end of the world, not the alien being that "killed" Superman 10 years ago):

QUOTE: "Captain America is being adapted by David Self (Road to Perdition), who is no stranger to Marvel, having worked on adaptations of Namor, the Sub-Mariner for Universal, and Deathlok for Paramount."



CAST 2010

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan
Tommy Lee Jones as Chester Phillips

Hugo Weaving as Red Skull
Toby Jones as Arnim Zola

Well, it beats actually being creative.

After horribly fucking up both The Hulk and Fantastic Four, I hope that Hollywood can do something equally asinine to Cap, like setting the film during the current Iraq war. That would [s]suck[/s] rock!

I think the previous Marvel movies, including Spiderman and the X-Men series, have always been a bit of a letdown to me. I am afraid that these newer one's they've just announced will be the biggest letdowns of them all if they don't get them right.

I think casting has played a lot into my dislike of them so far. From the way I just don't buy Jackman's Wolverine because he doesn't look like a killer, to the mildly retarded/ritalin'd way Tobey Maguire portrays the once intelligent teen scientist Peter Parker, the casting in Marvel films seems to be concentrated more on the sell-able image and not someone who delivers the character, at least not in the way that I think of them.

I'll be interested in who they cast to play Steve Rogers. And the costume. If they could just get the character's right, the thinest of plots could still be a great movie.

Oh, and yes the Hulk movie was terrible, but "The Hulk", the character as portrayed, was great. He just wasn't in it enough. Eric Bana sucked as Banner, and Nick Knolte, wtf?!? But the big green thing was accurate. I still watch that horrible movie sometimes just to watch the Hulk smash shit up.

I had to walk out of the theater as soon as Bana and Nolte started fighting at the end, or whatever the hell happened. I probably should have left a lot sooner, but I kept myself conscious through what seemed like hours of the thing just to see the Hulk smashing shit up.

I really think that films based on comics, especially Jack Kirby comics, ought to be CG animated flicks rather than live-action. What made those books work is the way they looked. One of the most overused, and yet still effective, visuals in the history of Marvel Comics has to be the shot of the weird glowing pellet-like cosmic rays hitting the soon-to-be Fantastic Four in their spacecraft -- and yet it wasn't used in the film. As William Hurt says, how do you fuck that up?

I think The Incredibles is the best comicbook superhero movie ever made. Nothing else even comes close.

Anybody remember the old X-Men cartoon "Pryde of the X-Men" where Wolverine had an australian accent? That was the funniest shit ever. I've got to find the video I have to that.

Captain America • The First Avenger described as “Raiders meets Rocketeer and Saving Private Ryan” (latimes, slashfilm.com)


Louis Leterrier (Director Incredible Hulk 2008, Clash Of The Titans 2010) was interviewed recently and gave up some Captain America info.


QUOTE: [Louis Leterrier] has seen some of the design work Marvel is doing for The First Avenger: Captain America and says it “looks amazing” and is “going to be so cool.” He describes it as “a period piece ”like Raiders of the Lost Ark but “with more gadgets"

[Louis Leterrier] later clarified, “It’s Raiders meets Rocketeer and Saving Private Ryan.” Which makes sense since Captain director Joe Johnston was the art director on Raiders, and the director of The Rocketeer.




Jonathan Mayer's unsolicited concept art (elandain.deviantart.com)

The first Spiderman movie was pretty good IMO but then the subsequent offerings were lamer as they went,X-Men wise I liked some of the first and most of the second as I felt the majority of the cast were good and the stories were well written,X3 is of course a nightmare only worsened by Wolverine - Origins.

Hulk (both the Eric Bana and Edward Norton versions) sucked sufficiently in their own ways and had some good points each on their own ways - pity that the two movies both sucked.

Iron Man definitely was well done and hopefully doesn't suffer "sequelitis" as the others have.

Punisher and Blade being the only spin-off comic characters that had good stories that translated well on screen and even then it took a second attempt @ The Punisher to get it right and Blade was really best portrayed in the first outing IMO.

Captain America,Thor,Namor and other lesser known Marvel Universe characters do have the problem of not being as well known and also have stories that translate better in a comic than on screen,DC face the same with the likes of Green Lantern.

Though not Marvel,I have to mention The Dark Knight as it was FANTASTIC!! And actually built so well on Batman Begins that it was amazing.

Seriously, I can't wait for the day when a director comes out and says "This movie so far looks like shit. I'm embarrassed to have my name attached to it."

I say there is still hope. Especially if they cast someone decent as Cap.

I'll do it. Cheap.

I've been working out and I am allready the blonde haired blue eyed white devil they need to fit the image. And I'm old as fuck.

It's a win-win for everybody.

Joe Johnston on Cap.

[hr]
What can you tell me that people might not have already heard about Captain America?

It's not going to be a Captain America that you expect. It's something different. It is influenced by the comic book, but it goes off in a completely different direction. It's the origin story of Captain America. It's mostly period—there are modern, present-day bookends on it—but it's basically the story of how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America.

The great thing about Captain America is he's a super hero without any super powers. Which is why this story, among the hundreds of superhero stories, appealed to me the most. He can't fly, he can't see through walls, he can't do any of that stuff. He's an everyman who's been given this amazing gift of transformation into the perfect specimen—the pinnacle of human perfection. How does that affect him? What does that mean for him emotionally and psychologically?

He was this 98-pound weakling, he was this wimp, and he's transformed instantly into this Adonis. You'd think he got everything he wanted. Well, he didn't get everything he wanted. The rules change at that point and his life gets even more complicated and dire. For me, that's the interesting part of the story. It's got some great action sequences in it and some incredible stuff that we've never seen before.

But at the heart of it, it's a story about this kid, who all he wants to do is fit in. This thing happens and he still doesn't fit in. And he has to prove himself a hero—essentially go AWOL to save a friend. Eventually at the very end, I don't want to give away too much, but he does fit in. But it's the journey of getting him there that's interesting. And it's a lot of fun.

[hr]

Sounds good to me.

Yes because that's what Captain America fans want!

Yeah, wtf. I hope someone spills on just what he means by that before they spend too much money on it.

Update on the costume by Johnston (link):

[spoil]
[align=left]
[hr]
The costume is a flag, but the way we're getting around that is we have Steve Rogers forced into the USO circuit. After he's made into this super-soldier, they decide they can't send him into combat and risk him getting killed. He's the only one and they can't make more. So they say, 'You're going to be in this USO show' and they give him a flag suit. He can't wait to get out of it."

"It was never in the comics," Johnston said, "because they didn't really need it. In comics, he puts on the costume and the reader just justifies because of the nature of the medium."

.....

"So he's up on stage doing songs and dances with chorus girls and he can't wait to get out and really fight. When he does go AWOL, he covers up the suit but then, after a few things happen, he realizes that this uniform allows him to lead. By then, he's become a star in the public mind and a symbol. The guys get behind him because he embodies something special."

In the first USO sequences, the frustrated patriot will be wearing a version that is closer to the classic Jack Kirby-designed costume, but then later as the super-soldier hits the war zone he will be wearing a sturdier, more muted version that he makes himself that is more like battle togs. The stripes across his mid-section, for instance, will be straps, not colored fabric.

"He realizes the value of the uniform symbols but he modifies his suit and adds some armor, it will be closer to the Cpa costume in some of the comics in more recent years . . . this approach, it's the only way we could justify ever seeing him on a screen in tights, with the funny boots and everything. The government essentially puts him up there as a living comic-book character and he rips it off and then reclaims some of its imagery after he recognizes the value of it. We think it's the best way to keep the costume and explain it at the same time."

[hr]
[/align]
[/spoil]

The article also mentions that the actors being considered range from age 23 to 32. I'm not sure if anyone else as seen this article on the current casting call. Apparently, Marvel is “going young” with Steve Rogers. To me, that's a profoundly wrong choice, which makes me wonder about the creative team’s competency.

Chris Evans is Steve Rogers.

I want to say that this is a bad decision, but I don’t know enough about Evans. My only reference is the trailers for the Fantastic Four films where I remember him doing a poor job of overacting. Based on that limited exposure, I don’t see him having the intelligence to successly pull of this type of role. The Captain has an inner-strength which you can’t fake.

The other choice was Channing Tatum, could he be much worse?

Based on the leaked concept art below (AICN), Ultimate Cap is the template for the film's costume.



While it's a little busy in some areas, the overall design is a good representation of the classic look.

this WILL kick ass. and Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull! I don't see how they can mess this up. There's a good chunk of this movie during WWII as well!

AICN updated with higher resolution:



The suit is acceptable although I'm not sure what to make of The Human Torch wearing it.

That suit does look pretty bad ass. As far as Chris Evans wearing it I like him as Johnny Storm not so sure how he'll do as Captain America though. Hopefully it won't be too retarded.

Who the hell is casting this thing?

I realize that to have a blockbuster they have to attract viewers beyond the fans of comics, but at least stay true to the character. I like how hollywood wants to get creative with things like casting and change the character to what they think it should be. If there was any creativity left in Hollywood then there wouldn't be remake after remake and would instead be making original stories.

If you are going to make a movie based on a video game, or comic, or novel then follow what made it popular in the first place. I always thought the casting for Harry Potter was great, they didnt try to get some snarky handsome kid to play Harry to get the 13 year old girls exctied to see it.

I'll say again what I've said before ... remember when we found out that Heath Ledger was going to play the Joker? I prefer not to judge at least until i see the trailers.

Good point. Gotta say I'm a little surprised by the look of the outfit. For some reason I expected they would hew closer to the classic comic book look. Personally, I like the direction they went and think this flick might work after all.

Yes, i'm a 70s-80s dude and on Cap i would like to see the wings on the mask and the helmet on Thor

Captain America Comic Con 2010 Poster

the idea of him right in the middle of WW2 kinda cracks me up. Here's a bunch of soldiers blowing shit up all private ryan style. Tanks, old bomber airplanes, dust and bob-wire and blood and trenches and then here comes this flaming blue dude doing cartwheels and flips over everything. Just kinda funny to me. but that poster looks cool though!

From what the Marvel Studios people were saying when they made The Incredible Hulk (when they weren't bitching about Ed Norton Ralph Kramden Stlye), they claimed that the manner Blonsky fights Hulk at the University was supposed to be kind of a preview of what we could expect of Cap's fighting ability. And Blonsky was a fucking Ninja bad-ass for the three miutes that scene lasts. So I'm hoping they remember that.

I don't think that kind of fighting style would be as distracting as him prancing around doing cartwheels and shit while everyone else does the heavy lifting. Besides being the epitome of human development, Captain America is supposed to be a leader. And real leaders lead by doing. He is supposed to be inspirational, and not only as a symbol. I hope Evans can make that all come together. This movie can be lousy, as long as they present a believable and respectable version of Cap onscreen.

If the entire film takes place in the 40's, then I'm guessing that a part of The AVENGERS will involve Captain America waking up in our timeline??

[spoil]
[align=left]Kevin Feige started the panel which began with a teaser for Captain America, a film that has only been shooting for 5 days.

The teaser was WW2 footage… typical stuff: planes bombing, anti-aircraft guns firing, soldiers marching, superimposed over what is obviously a very slow reveal of the red, white and blue shield. Roosevelt’s Day of Infamy speech plays over this footage as text appeared on the screen:

Our courage and strength led us into battle, stories emerged of heroes … but one story has never been told.

Bam, the full circular shield. Is shown, then fades to black as text appears: Every army starts with one man.

Captain America’s silhouette, shield on the arm, standing in near profile. To black.

“Next summer meet the world’s first avenger.”

Chris Evans turning around in costume, very much like the designs we’ve seen over the last month or so. No wings on head, but very much a practical army suit.

The title hit and then the zinger (you know the zinger… every trailer has one… you think it’s over and then BAM something else) was of Evans launching the shield right at camera.

I particularly liked this shot as it looked like the shield had a real weight to it and… well, it looked like how Cap throwing his shield should look. What can I say?

Then they brought out Joe Johnston, Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving for the panel discussion.

- A question was asked to Johnston about the tone of the film. He said he loves Raiders of the Lost Ark. “At no time when watching that film do you feel it was made in 1936. It feels as modern today as it did back (when it was released.” He said you only get one chance to tell the origin story and promised it won’t feel like a movie made in 1942. I guess this was his way of telling people that it won’t feel old and stupid because it’s set during WW2.

- Evans on the pressures of taking on such an iconic character: said he has to put the magnitude of the project in a separate part of his brain so he doesn’t melt into a puddle of mess.

- They are 5 days into shooting. “Eased into it. We did some nice, gentle scenes to get my feet wet.” - Evans

- Hugo Weaving was asked about the voice. It is German, obviously, he said. Some of the Red Skull’s voice was inspired by Werner Herzog.

- Joe looked at all the Captain Americas in comic history. “I’m a fan of the (Ed) Brubaker version of Captain America.” He’s borrowing Brubacker elements visually, especially for the suit.

- Going slightly more modern than the original Captain America, which he said was basically just wearing PJs with the stars and stripes on it.

- As of this appearance Evans hasn’t shot any of the actual movie in the suit. The teaser was built from costume tests.

- Entire film takes place in the early 1940s. (says Feige)

- Johnson wanted an actor that could pull off Steve Rogers pre-serum and that’s predominantly why he cast Chris Evans.

- Weaving said he’s still playing with the mask, getting it to work properly. He didn’t elaborate, but I assume it’s a nice prosthetic piece.

They cut the Q&A short, but showed an extended scene from what they shot last week.

Norway, May 1942. Two men stand in a stone castle as one of the walls is busted inward, crushing one of the men. The room fills with Nazis as they restrain the older gentleman (who looked just like Finch from Potter, but I’m not 100% positive it was actually David Bradley).They go to an elaborate coffin, with an intricate stone design on top. “Open it! Quickly! Before he gets here.”

Of course “he” is The Red Skull. Hugo, looking sharp in an SS uniform, is silhouetted in the hole the Nazis busted into the keep. After a beat, he comes down, obviously feared by his crew. His face is just normal Hugo Weaving as he approaches the terrified older guy that may or may not be Finch from Potter.

“It took me a long time to find this place,” Weaving said with an eloquent menace.

“What you seek is just a legend!” says the Old Man.

:Then why make such an effort to conceal it?”

Weaving easily pushes the heavy stone slab off the coffin, revealing a skeleton clutching a cube, which Weaving called the Jewel of Odin’s treasure room. The Cosmic Cube? I don’t remember if it’s tied to Thor in the books, but I like them already tying these franchises together.

Weaving holds the cube, looking at it and suddenly smashes it. It’s a fake, a decoy and Skull saw through it. “It is not something one buries, but I think it is close, yes?”

He walks to an elaborate door with a carving on it of a large tree. Tree of the world, garden of wisdom… and fate… Weaving says as he admires it. He reaches out and touches a snake eye in handle, which opens a container filledwith a glowing blue light. Weaving looks longingly inside and then back up at the old man. “You have never seen this, have you?” The old, defiant man answers: “It is not for the eyes of ordinary men… “ With a wicked smile Weaving says: “Exactly!”

End of scene.

Gotta say, it’s not exactly the kind of footage that makes you want rip your clothes off and dance a mambo, but I love it when they bring rough footage, especially this far out. The cinematography was sharp and this is coming from someone in the “Joe Johnston prove you’re going to make a good movie” camp, but Johnston earned some respect with the footage he showed. It looks fun, but not goofy. Great look, good performances and a fun feeling to it.

Can’t wait to see more of the suit. I’m not sure what I think based on the split second I saw it moving… In one shot it looked a bit… baggy… on him. I trust they’ll make it work and this is only the first week of photography.
[/align]
[/spoil]



- Entire film takes place in the early 1940s. (says Feige)
- Chris Evans turning around in costume, very much like the designs we’ve seen over the last month or so.
- No wings on head, but very much a practical army suit.

from AICN

www.bleedingcool.com

How can anyone be excited for this movie with Chris Evans as the lead?

It's the worst casting job in the entire Marvel movie universe. Evans shouldn't be allowed to star in anything outside of the teen movie genre.

I can't imagine this movie being good unless maybe Spielberg directed it, but even he would have a tough time with a superhero named Captain America.

See, I dunno, I liked him in Push, a movie I thought didn't get enough attention and I rented for $1. His Johnny Storm was a little over the top, but he did have some of the better moments in the Fantastic 4 movies. He was most believable in character, to me. And isn't that what an actor is supposed to do? I'm not so worried about him, as the rest of the movie.

What is it again that people hate about the guy? I'm not being an appologist, I'm truly missing it I guess.

First on the set Captain America images (albeit of a stunt double).

www.thesuperficial.com








For me, if Johnston succeeds in making this similiar to Indiana Jones then this film may work.

The A on his helmet is for asshole. this could be a train-wreck. Next summer... BUST A CAP

This movie should have its world premier in Iraq and Afghanistan.

or have a giant "COMING SOON" tag for the Iran poster!

Actually I'm ok with these images but yes if Johnston wanted a The Dark Knight inspired tech uniform at least make the blue darker: The Dark Blue Knight.

The Dark Blue Knight could have been a modern Captain America set in modern day Iraq/Afghanistan and had modern day problems (Alcohol & Drug Smuggling, Finger Necklaces, Random Killings)

Seriously though - the HYDRA vehicles look




HYDRA Sub


more Captain Indiana images

I dunno', I'm not really hating the look of the uniform. Kind of hard to tell from these couple of pics. Stunt guy looks a little rolly polly, though. He reminds me of a substitute teacher with a bad halloween costume on. Wait, okay, part of me is kind of hating it. I'm not gonna make up my mind until I see it. I just really really want it to be good. But I really really really want to win the lottery, and look how that's goin.

The machine guns mounted on the forks is a little crazy. I almost hated the bike, but it looks a little Megaforce-ish. So, I guess I kind of dig it. If it's better than Megaforce, I'll be happy. That should be the title of my biography btw.

The stunt guy may be a little chubby, but stunt suits are also usually padded, for obvious reasons. This uniform probably isn't going to look exactly the same as the version Chris Evans wears for most of the thing.

I dont hate him but I cant take him serious and dead pan. To me Cap doesnt play, he isn't snarky, he isn't arrogant. I think evans oozes these characteristics, which could work for a number of other characters just not cap.

Steve Rogers is the epitome of the Greatest generation. The serious, hard working, patriotic, and tough as nails. I always liked the part of Rogers character that felt out of place in the 20th century and even in his love life that was a source of problems.

This isn't the vibe evans gives off. I really dont dislike him, I think he is just about as perfect a casting job as could have been done for Fantastic Fours Johnny Storm, but not Steve Rogers.

Footage & Images of roided out Chris Evans with Prosthetic Feet on the London Set:
[align=center]VIDEO[/align]
[spoil]
[flash width=640 height=385]http://www.youtube.com/v/TjPzNc_PY2Q?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash][/spoil]
[spoil]
[align=left]





[/align]
[/spoil]
[align=center]GALLERY[/align]

While I don’t like Matrix-style slomo, I do enjoy Nazi crunching and shield based violence. As such, the trailer below for the Cap video game is very entertaining.

In watching the preview, I wonder if the game is another G.I. Joe Resolute. Meaning, it may be a promotional project that is better than the film it's promoting.

[flash width=640 height=390]http://www.youtube.com/v/xqHTljziw6c&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash]

This will be as bad as all the other comic book movies.

I can't wait for the Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew adaptation.

HI-RES EW COVER



(bleedingcool.com)

Scans from the EW issue (High Res):
from Spidermedia.ru

They’ve got the look fairly spot-on. I hope the rest follows suit.

I thought this was interesting from the EW article:

[hr] “The interesting thing about this character is that he’s an everyman who in the course of a few minutes become a perfect human specimen. That has to create some interesting personal issues,” says Johnston. “I saw it as an opportunity to make a superhero movie that felt real, that didn’t have to rely on an overabundance of fantasy elements.” [hr]
How can a film that features super-serum and the Cosmic Cube feel realistic?

Those pictures make me not so nervous all of a sudden. If they can show an evolution into the Cap we saw on the bike a while back, it may be less goofball once they get there than I was afraid it was gonna be.

As far as super serum & cosmic cube vs realism, the quote does say "overabundance of fantasy elements", not a complete absence of them.

[marq=left]:funkynigga: Vote now! Vote now! [/marq]

new Capt' news from the Empire magazine article.

• Chris Evans has signed for 6 ... YES SIX movies as Captain America !
• 3 Captain America and 3 Avengers, they wanted him for 9 movies!!!
• parts of the world where our imperialist nation isn't liked all that well, the movie will just be called "The First Avenger"
• wears the "classic" comic suit with the wings on his head but it's during a propaganda scene filmed for the war. he has Stark build him a new one.
• film begins and ends with the frozen in ice part of the story to set up the Avengers.
• scenes in the beginning where he's suppose to be a scrawny punk will use skinny actors bodies with his head CGI'd onto it

Some on set shots of Hydra vehicles:

comicbookmovie.com




Also, Joe Johnston comments on what's going on in each of the Entertainment Weekly shots:

Joe Johnston commentary

SFX magazine scan of Weaving with the Cosmic Cube:
Superherohype