Spoilers For Cap Film

[savemoony.livejournal.com]

March 1, 2010 is the deadline for casting Steve Rogers. According to wired.com:

Johnston expects to name the film’s star within the next couple weeks, drawing from a short list of six actors up for wielding Cap’s shield. “The youngest is 23,” Johnston said. “The oldest is 32. Most of the guys in the war are just kids, 18 or 19, but we want to go a little bit older.”

BigShinyRobot.com has reported that:

According to MY studio guy, the rumors about Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck), Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) and other unknowns/television actors reading for Cap are true.

Apparently, when the script came in with World War II sequences (featuring the Invaders), the studio heads decided it was beyond their means to make this movie AND afford A-listers like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

Sure sounds like everyone’s high on McPartlin, who evidently just lost out on the Superman role to Brandon Routh.

Folks should take the Big Shiny Robot information with a grain of salt. It actually came out before Johnston's interview. McPartlin is 34; meaning if we take Johnston's comments as The Word Of God, McPartlin is out. Moreover, this is the first confirmation I've seen that's Jensen Ackles read for the role. I'm trying to withhold my SQUEEEEEEE. The three all have contractial obligations with television shows, so regardless of who they cast, they will have to work around their tv schedule. Murray and McPartlin would be easier to write out of their respective shows. Jensen and Jared are in every scene of every episode of Supernatural. Working around Jensen's schedule will be most problematic. But, like my friend in the business says, "if Marvel wants him badly enough, they will make it out."

Now... Now onto script spoilers.

The LA Time's Hero COmplex blog interviewed Joe Johnston. Johnston revealed how Steve Rogers gets his mythic costume:

"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."

"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."

There will be more than one costume in the film, too.

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."

Steve Rogers never wore tights you asshat.

Johnston confirmed there will be tie ins to Iron Man and Thor, and the modern will have modern day book ends. IGN (and multiple other sources) are reporting the director revealed that The Invaders will "be in the entire second half" of the film. IGN is also reporting that Red Skull will be the Big Bad.

On a happier note, Robert Downey Jr is awesome. Downey Jr recently told SFX Magazine:

"The Avengers" [is] a culmination of the first four years of movies from Marvel Studios. It's the pinnacle, but only if it's done in the smartest and best and most creatively sound way possible. And I'm not saying we can't get there. I'm just saying it would be better to get there and not stay on schedule than to get everyone what they were hoping for in terms of a release date but not do it correctly. And by correctly, I mean my way," laughed Downey.

Comments

[des-pudels-kern.livejournal.com]

I think it's a matter of Cap not being any of the other soldiers. He's not one of the countless faceless men fighting in the trenches. He's one of a kind, he's a deliberately visible symbol of hope and encouragement for his allies, encouraging them to follow his example and fight bravely, and at the same time the sight of him standing out amongst a crowd of soldiers, standing proud and tall, fearless, strong, and unbeaten, will also strike fear in the heart of his enemies. Impractical? He's not a sniper, he's supposed to be visible! What's the point of having a super soldier and putting him in a flag costume if you don't use him? Yes, his costume is ridiculous, and I do not like it one bit, but there's a reason for it loking like that, and it is part of who Captain America is.

[flight-wo-wings.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, with the caveat that my impression based on the OP, is that the filmmakers want Steve to explore that idea for himself, in the film. That's where I think they're going with idea of him taking off the costume when he goes into the field, only to end up making one for himself once he realizes just how valuable that symbol is. Which is a pretty cool idea, in my opinion.

[des-pudels-kern.livejournal.com]

I don't like the starting point of him not being in the field to begin with though. It sounds as if they originally wanted to use their one super soldier not for soldiering, and in that case his main use would be as a lab rat. Yes, this is an origin movie, and it's good to have Steve Rogers do some soul-searching and self-finding before truly becoming Captain America, but, while I'm not very familiar with canon, I always had the impression that he was, and was always meant to be, a soldier. He became a symbol because he was the 'perfect' role model, but he was always meant to be out in the field. All of this, him changing his role, against what is expected of him, from a pedestalled picture of perfection into that of someone going out and doing things, is enough to take up the whole movie, and then there won't be much seeing him as Cap in action in WWII unless they do another movie set before he's frozen.