Captain America

Anakin.S

Seen this

http://www.filmshaft.com/captain-america-to-be-cast-in-two-weeks/

I'm not sure how well a man who throws a sheild will do outside America but I loved 'The Cap' when I was a kid.

I heard that Will Smith was linked to the role but would he be right for the roll after Hancock?

I'm not sure but I think Kellan Lutz would be good for the roll but his obvious connection to another character would be the only thing

krudler

It could work if most of it is set in the 40s and once he gets to the modern age that people wont accept a patriotic American hero in an age where America and its politics are despised the world over, I'd have John Hamm from Mad Men as Cap, unless they want some barely in his 20s prettyboy:

Kess73

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWDyoO42qIw

DazMarz

:DThere is only one man, and only one man, who should ever be allowed to play Captain America:

Chuck Norris...:D

jaykhunter

It'd be horrible but i'd LOVE for John Cena to get the role

Kess73

jaykhunter wrote: »

It'd be horrible but i'd LOVE for John Cena to get the role

With his hair dyed blonde, he would visually make a good cap and he would have the height and build.

fryup

oh no, not another super hero movie:rolleyes:

having said that i just saw iron-man on dvd and enjoyed it

krudler

fryup wrote: »

oh no, not another super hero movie:rolleyes:

having said that i just saw iron-man on dvd and enjoyed it

The ratio of good superhero movies outweighs the bad so no point complaining theres another one coming out, thats like say "oh no, another comedy"

TonyD79

If this is gonna be set in the 1940's how does it then tie into the proposed Avengers film that is supposed to include the recent Iron Man,Hulk, Captain America characters which would be set in present day?

How about Justin Hartley to play him?

krudler

TonyD79 wrote: »

If this is gonna be set in the 1940's how does it then tie into the proposed Avengers film that is supposed to include the recent Iron Man,Hulk, Captain America characters which would be set in present day?

How about Justin Hartley to play him?

Its set in the 40s in the beginning, then once he's unfrozen in the modern day, thats where the Avengers story will come into it afaik

Ridley

Anakin.S wrote: »

I heard that Will Smith was linked to the role but would he be right for the roll after Hancock?

I was going to post that I didn't think people would be able to handle a black Captain America - more that of selective comic purists than racism - but with Obama in the White House, the symbolism of a black soldier in World War II/1940s becoming a 21st century superhero would make for really interesting viewing.

humanji

Well they already have a black Nick Fury in the series. But I'd say they'd stick more to the traditional Cap. Apparently they'll be casting in a week or two.

TonyD79

Sure wasnt Beyonce linked to wonderwomen last year. Not to sound racist but they should really have the actor playing the role look like the character from the comics as much as possible. If there is no noteable black/asian superheros then that is a problem for DC/Marvel and not the fans who would suffer seeing a black Superman etc. Same reasons im glad Tim Burton never got near the Superman franchise. Nic Cage as Superman would have been awful. Think wickerman with a cape!!!

Handsome Bob

Cena doesn't have the chops to pull off the role, Marvel Studios have a track record of hiring well known but also reliable actors (Ed Norton, RDJ etc etc). I think we're looking at a "name" actor, not quite on the level of Matt Damon or Leonardo Di Caprio, but someone who can stand toe to toe with the likes of RDJ, Norton and Samuel L. Jackson.

Sleazus

TonyD79 wrote: »

If there is no noteable black/asian superheros then that is a problem for DC/Marvel and not the fans who would suffer seeing a black Superman etc.

"Suffer"? Suffering through a bad actor, maybe. Suffering through a bad script or a writer who doesn't get the hero, probably.

Suffering because their skin colour doesn't match what you expect? Isn't that a little... extreme? Next thing you know people will be complaining that Daniel Craig is a blonde Bond. :rolleyes:

Coriolanus

Well, personally I think that if they went with a black Cap just to be... what exactly? Relevant? Hip?
Whatever reason you could find, if they'll decide to introduce a racial tension into the character, they won't refrain from changing lots of other stuff too.

Personally, I'd like to see the story go down the road of... trying to remember the name of the arc, but it was where it's suggested that the US secret service kept Cap on ice, knowing where he was etc, because they couldn't trust him to compromise his morals about killing innocents, unarmed etc, in order to follow out orders.
It was pretty interesting, very three dimensional portrayal, afair.

humanji

LZ5by5 wrote: »

Cena doesn't have the chops to pull off the role, Marvel Studios have a track record of hiring well known but also reliable actors (Ed Norton, RDJ etc etc). I think we're looking at a "name" actor, not quite on the level of Matt Damon or Leonardo Di Caprio, but someone who can stand toe to toe with the likes of RDJ, Norton and Samuel L. Jackson.

Oddly enough, Leonardo Di Caprio was once tipped to play Cap, as well as Matthew McConaughey.

Sleazus

Nevore wrote: »

Personally, I'd like to see the story go down the road of... trying to remember the name of the arc, but it was where it's suggested that the US secret service kept Cap on ice, knowing where he was etc, because they couldn't trust him to compromise his morals about killing innocents, unarmed etc, in order to follow out orders.
It was pretty interesting, very three dimensional portrayal, afair.

I am familiar with said arc and I have to agree with Ed Brubaker who thinks it's complete pants.

The plot is essentially that the powers that be discovered Cap would condemn the bombing of Hiroshima and so they conspired to kill/freeze him.

That's nonsense, right there. There's a debate to be had about the dropping of bombs on Japan, but centring Cap around it is just ridiculous. It's like that period where they had him refuse to kill - and having serious regret about killing a single mook.

He was a soldier. He fought in the second world war. He was so patriotic and committed to ending the conflict at any cost he volunteered himself for a super soldier enhancement plan. In wars people die, it's inevitable. While you can debate the ethics of the use of nuclear weapons, it just isn't in Captain America's character - it's something Thor would do, or maybe Iron Man due his connection to the arms industry.

I hope that the movie keeps close to Brubaker's conception of Steve Rogers as a good guy who has done some impossible things - a man who is and always will be a soldier.

pixelburp

I always look at Captain America as a hangover from when comics were a little less ... developed... than they were now. I don't specifically mean the angsty Batman-wannabes that are cropping up, but just a general maturity in the writing, presentation & themes that exist now, compared to the "old days". Cap. America just seems like such a stunning anachronism, I couldn't see how you would pull off a movie version without doing something ala the Brady Bunch Movie.

krudler

Sleazus wrote: »

"Suffer"? Suffering through a bad actor, maybe. Suffering through a bad script or a writer who doesn't get the hero, probably.

Suffering because their skin colour doesn't match what you expect? Isn't that a little... extreme? Next thing you know people will be complaining that Daniel Craig is a blonde Bond. :rolleyes:

Its one thing taking a few liberties or recasting people, Bonds hair colour isnt important, but casting a black guy as say, Superman, it just wouldnt work, he's so ingrained into the public concept of what we know him to be, tall, white, black hair, blue eyes, that someone of a different race just wouldnt work,its not how the character was designed, its zero to do with race, its be like casting a white guy as Martin Luther King, wrong! (i know Superman is fictional and MLK isnt, but you get my drift)

Sleazus

krudler wrote: »

Its one thing taking a few liberties or recasting people, Bonds hair colour isnt important, but casting a black guy as say, Superman, it just wouldnt work, he's so ingrained into the public concept of what we know him to be, tall, white, black hair, blue eyes, that someone of a different race just wouldnt work,its not how the character was designed, its zero to do with race, its be like casting a white guy as Martin Luther King, wrong! (i know Superman is fictional and MLK isnt, but you get my drift)

Is race really that big a deal for this particular character? I mean, I can understand, for example, not casting a white guy as Black Panther or Falcon (as they were the first black superhero to have their own book or to appear in the Marvel universe), but I don't think Cap being white is an essential part of his character.

I think, particularly since the original character was envisioned as a 'take that' against the Nazis - he had blonde hair and blue eyes, but was originally what might be considered an imperfect racial speciman (being too sickly to enlist). The fact that he volunteered and America made him stronger and better is a triumph of American idealism over the cold racist and eugenics-based logic of Reich: we don't discard those who don't meet your physical standards and we don't ethnic cleanse - and we can help them become the very best they can be. We succeed because of our ability to integrate all aspects of our society instead of homogenizing and purging.

Sending wimpy sickly Steve Rogers to punch Hitler in the face was a bold move for the time. I see no reason why having him as an African American changes that fact - in fact, I'd suggest it underscores that facet of the character brilliantly. It doesn't even need to be a stated fact it just sits perfectly. Of course, you lose the blonde hair and blue eyes bit - and with it 'here's your master race... in your face!' - but I'd make the case that this aspect is like Batman's early indifference to death or his faithful sidearm: it's a bit of early mythos which wouldn't really be missed as long as the core remains faithful.

constitutionus

sorry man but a black captain america makes as much sense as a hispanic dracula.

its change for changes sake.

remember the blokes an irish american, not many black people emigrating from here back in the 1900s so you'd have to retcon all that out too . the irony of him essentially being hitlers ideal was meant to be a part of the story too, certainly the red skull loves pointing it out to him constantly over the books history.

as for who should play him, i dont know. though he should be young, cap was only a teenager when he volunteerd for the process so at most he should be early 20s (or looks like it) . i agree that it should be almost all in the 40s too. while i realy am looking forward to the avengers film i cant help thinking marvel missed a trick with cap, a trilogy of his films could be a real good "alternative history" romp with the scope for some powerful scenes. as one of the posters said he seems like a cliche but if you buy into the concept then cap is going to be one of the guys who actualy liberates the concentration camps.

just imagine how that could play out emotionally.

it'd have been nice to see something like that before slapping him up with the hulk in the modern day.

still im looking forward to cap, they did a good aproximation to what we can expect with blonskis character in the incredible hulk so heres hoping they add to that in the real thing.

jaykhunter

constitutionus wrote: »

sorry man but a black captain america makes as much sense as a hispanic dracula.

Made me think of the Spanish Version of Béla Lugosi's most famous film, Dracula (1931). They shot a spanish version at the same time with Spanish actors!



I don't really like Captain America, i think he's just a product of pro-american propaganda during the war, maybe it's just because I'm not American! Does he have any internal struggles or problems, or is he just as bland as Superman's character?

Sleazus

constitutionus wrote: »

sorry man but a black captain america makes as much sense as a hispanic dracula.

its change for changes sake.

remember the blokes an irish american, not many black people emigrating from here back in the 1900s so you'd have to retcon all that out too . the irony of him essentially being hitlers ideal was meant to be a part of the story too, certainly the red skull loves pointing it out to him constantly over the books history.

I'm not advocating for a black Captain America - I'm just observing that race isn't really important.

Take Christopher Nolan's Ra's Al Ghul.
Originally: Middle-eastern immortal who liked to dress in robes.
Now: Caucasian mortal who likes to dress in black and make horrible puns.

Or his Joker.
Originally: Scarred by being dropped in acid, his skin is permenantly dyed, likes using laughing gas and joke props to kill people.
Now: Scarred by someone (possibly himself), wears make-up, uses knives and conventional explosives to kill people.

You could argue either way on Tim Burton's Penguin - who bears little physical resemblence to his comic book counterpart, but was the lead villain in the best received of the original Batman movies.

Hell, there's the same argument about Mickey Rourke as Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash, or some weird amalgamation of the two. The bottom line: as long as he's executed well, I don't care what he looks like.

I don't think Cap should be black. I don't think Cap should be white. I just want him done well and to remain true to his core concept. I don't think being white is part of his core concept - and I'm frankly a bit suprised that people seem to think it is.

The whole point was that he wasn't Hitler's ideal. He wasn't bred fit - he was weak and sickly but given the chance to be all he could be. Because, in the propaganda of the time, that was how America wins the wars: because it takes in those who would be discarded and victimised elsewhere. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.

I had honestly never read that Steve Rogers was Irish. For me, that's not a core part of his character. Being of Irish descent, at least to me, is a far more important part of Matt Murdock's character (though it's arguably moreso the lapsed Catholicism which defines him). Steve Rogers being Irish isn't about Steve Rogers being Irish. It's about him being essentially an outsider who cares about America, despite not being what Bill the Butcher would consider a true American. Were he cast as an African American, it would keep that aspect of the character, particularly since both minorities weren't exactly treated as equals with the settled white Americans during the early twentieth century.

For me, it isn't important what the character looks like, just that they keep true to his character. Watchmen demonstrated it's possible for an entirely faithful adaptation to suck, while The Dark Knight offered the possibility that adaptation might involve making some changes to the material while retaining the core.

I don't think we'll see a black Captain America, because of backlash like above, but I honestly wouldn't mind Will Smith in the lead role.

jaykhunter wrote: »

I don't really like Captain America, i think he's just a product of pro-american propaganda during the war, maybe it's just because I'm not American! Does he have any internal struggles or problems, or is he just as bland as Superman's character?

As with any character, it depends on the writer. There have been bland propaganda moments, there have been moments of wangst (like above, where Cap was frozen due to his objection over nuclear weapons), but there have also been interesting character beats. Mainly Ed Brubacker's current run is a nice little character study (

until he killed him off... but then brought him back

). There have also been some interesting moments of relevence, like during Watergate when the character exposed a plot not dissimiliar to the real-life event and confronted a Nixon stand-in, who committed suicide. This prompted the character to give up the title and the shield and to spend a few years in the wilderness looking for the American dream. It sounds ham-fisted, but this was the 1970s, after all.

I think you might like Mark Millar's take on the character (Millar is the writter of Wanted and this year's Kick-Ass), which focuses more on the man-out-of-time aspect of a dude frozen in ice for half-a-century. He missed the sixties, he doesn't 'get' modern dating, all his friends are in their eighties and he lives in a crappy apartment in a horrible corner of Hell's Kitchen. If you are interested in reading it, pick up the hardcover omnibus of The Ultimates. Solid read.

I heard the movie is going for a Raiders of the Lost Ark approach, a period action movie. Which could be amazing, but could also go so very, very wrong.

constitutionus

TBH i think its more to do with prominance of the characters.

most of the guys you mentioned wouldnt mean anything to anyone outside the fandom so joe public wouldnt really care how theyre portrayed. that why i dont mind jackson playing fury as he's obscure enough to get away with it (as well as having whole ultimate marvel fury to draw upon)

but we know how cap, spidey, batman, wonderwoman, hulk ,wolverine, flash and co look. theres precedents on telly for them over decades (back to the 40s in some cases)

changing that would just look forced and generate a "huh?" factor

i'd be just as annoyed if they changed blade into a white guy, even though they could probably have got away with that as when his film was released most people didnt even know he WAS a comic book character.

i dont think i could hack a will smith captain america, i just dont like him as an actor, he seems to play the same guy in most of his films that arent gunning for an oscar. now he's not the only one guilty of that (im thinking of bale here) but it is a factor to me.

TonyD79

What I meant by suffering is that fans have a picture of the way someone should look like and this is built up over a period from when they were kids. Call it nostalgia but to change that appearance ruins things for alot of people.You can apply this to numerous examples and if the character was originally black with dreadlocks and say a beard it would be wrong to give him a new look to "go with the times".

Any word on who is up for the role?

Ridley

The internet says

Cap's costume will be part of a fabulous USO show!

(source) Don't look at the url address either if you don't wanna know.

and

Red Skull in, and film is mostly in the 40s with (what I assume will modern day) bookends.

(source)

Makes sense. Whatever gets the film to avoid being a cartoon, I guess.

Handsome Bob

constitutionus wrote: »

as for who should play him, i dont know. though he should be young, cap was only a teenager when he volunteerd for the process so at most he should be early 20s (or looks like it) .

For sure, that should be one of the reasons why Tony Stark feels he should be the one to lead the Avengers.

Zapp Brannigan

Aaron Eckhart as Cap? I could see it!

Sleazus

Not sure if any one has seen this, but here's a rough idea of what we can expect. It doesn't seem too promising...

"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."

TonyD79

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

Aaron Eckhart as Cap? I could see it!

A bit old..maybe he could play Red Skull!!

iMax

I think they should start it in the 40s & have him suspended in time as they bring it up to modern day & Tony Stark gets him a less gay suit

Handsome Bob

Aye, most of the film is meant to be in

WWII, also apparently once he goes AWOL from the USO he comes up with his own costume that is more "sensible" for fighting on the frontline.

I'm disappointed by the news that they are looking for an unknown to play Cap, hopefully they'll make up for that by going with a big name actor for the Red Skull.

Coriolanus

Sleazus wrote: »

I am familiar with said arc and I have to agree with Ed Brubaker who thinks it's complete pants.

Tracked it down and re-read it. I humbly withdraw my suggestion. I guess it had more of a shine to it when I first read it.

LZ5by5 wrote: »

I'm disappointed by the news that they are looking for an unknown to play Cap, hopefully they'll make up for that by going with a big name actor for the Red Skull.

Why disappointed? I'd much rather that relative unknowns got some big roles. It used to be in the 90s there were 3-4 leading men. I much prefer the current smorgasboard of big and smaller actors.
Definitely hope they don't give it to Eckheart, even though I think he's great. I wiouldn't be able to get TwoFace out of my head. :mad:

Handsome Bob

Nevore wrote: »

Why disappointed? I'd much rather that relative unknowns got some big roles. It used to be in the 90s there were 3-4 leading men. I much prefer the current smorgasboard of big and smaller actors.
Definitely hope they don't give it to Eckheart, even though I think he's great. I wiouldn't be able to get TwoFace out of my head. :mad:

I just had high hopes that the Avengers would be a near ensemble cast. I mean as it is we can look forward to Downey Jr, Norton and Sam Jackson chewing scenery together. However my hopes of an ensemble cast was somewhat dampened by Hemsworth's addition to the fold as Thor, and now completely dashed by this unknown actor talk in regards to Captain America. I'm not saying Hemsworth and whoever plays Cap will be bad, I just hope Norton, Downey Jr. and Jackson don't show them up to be out of their depth.

Sleazus

LZ5by5 wrote: »

I just had high hopes that the Avengers would be a near ensemble cast. I mean as it is we can look forward to Downey Jr, Norton and Sam Jackson chewing scenery together. However my hopes of an ensemble cast was somewhat dampened by Hemsworth's addition to the fold as Thor, and now completely dashed by this unknown actor talk in regards to Captain America. I'm not saying Hemsworth and whoever plays Cap will be bad, I just hope Norton, Downey Jr. and Jackson don't show them up to be out of their depth.

Amen on that one.

With The Hulk pencilled in as a bad guy or at least a chaotic nuetral sort of character, and Nick Fury playing mission control, my big worry is that Robert Downey Jnr will be the only recognisable face of the big three. And then The Avengers will simply become Iron Man 3: The One Where He Hangs Out With Some Dudes in the public eye.

I can understand why they don't want big names - they're reportedly having difficulty paying Jackson and Norton - but they have Disney behind then, for crying out loud! Show us some of that love you promised us!

Being honest, Downey Jnr will outshine two unknowns (and may even outact the two unknowns) and it would almost have been better to have three unknowns so it would at least be a level playing field. I did say almost, though.

6th

I could see the likes of George Stults in the role.