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All sorts of news is hitting the web regarding THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA.  Director Joe Johnston spoke quite a bit on the upcoming big screen Marvel adaptation while promoting THE WOLFMAN over the weekend.  This comes on the heels of Movehole reporting that CHUCK actor Ryan McPartlin (who plays “Captain Awesome” on the NBC series) said in a recent interview “it is in the casting process and like many other actors, I read for it, so we’ll wait and see what happens. Regardless, I’m pretty psyched to be Captain Awesome for the time being.”  I actually interviewed McPartlin last summer at San Diego for CHUCK, and I can say in person he has the right look to play Cap, so I’m not opposed to the idea of him getting the job.  He’s already got many of the qualities for Steve Rogers, including a good physique, blond hair, and a strong voice.  Just bulk him up a bit and you’ve got Cap.  The best part is McPartlin is still a new enough face that audiences wouldn’t attach any pre-conceived notions toward his portrayal.

Well now more info has come out, including a report from Devin Faraci of Chud.com following THE WOLFMAN press conference Devin participated in with director Joe Johnston, in which Johnston confirmed that The Invaders (a Marvel superhero team which included the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Union Jack, Spitfire, Silver Scorpion, and of course Cap) will not only appear in the film, but added “They’ll be in the entire second half.”  Johnston also added that the team will consist of six members total.  Devin also mentioned that earlier in the conference, Johnston mentioned that his Captain America would be played (hopefully) by a newcomer and that he would surrounded by name actors.  The idea of implementing The Invaders with this movie both excites me and frightens me.  This has the potential to very cool (perhaps following in the footsteps of WATCHMEN), or a complete and total mess (SPIDER-MAN 3 comes to mind).  I’ll say this – if anyone was meant to pull it off, it would be Joe Johnston.

Other sites posted more elaborate info, such as Collider.com, such as the fact that Johnston stated he’s definitely casting an American to play Cap, adding that casting needs to be done my March 1, and they are testing five or six men ranging between the ages of 23 to 32.  He also noted he’s shooting the movie in HD, and that the only way it would receive a 3-D treatment would be in post, but that the movie would be shot quite differently than other Marvel movies.  Most of the film will be shot in the UK, as the bulk of the story takes place in Europe.  Johnston said (in regards to casting the lead) that he wants to discover and unknown and surround him with more prominent names.  And finally, though this is to be expected, AintItCool.com reported that the Red Skull will indeed be the villain of the film.

But in perhaps one of the most interesting statements made regarding the movie, Johnston talked to Hero Complex about Cap’s costume in the film and how it will be handled.  They quote him to say “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.”  This really intrigues me, as it’s a realistic justification for the costume that allows audience acceptance… potentially.  Johnston came back to the subject stating “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.”  Apparently there will be more than one version of the costume in the movie as well.  In the early USO sequences, it will look similar to the Jack Kirby design, but as the story plays out and Rogers goes into heavy battle, he will wear a stronger and more subtle-colored variation he puts together himself.  Johnston elaborated to Hero Complex “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.”

I’m sure Joe Johnston loves having to focus so much of his time talking Cap during THE WOLFMAN junkets, but let’s face it, the concept of a Captain America film is infinitely fascinating.  I’ve already stated I think Johnston is the perfect choice for this project, and the more I hear him talk about it, it really seems he’s taking it seriously, and chances are we may finally get the Cap film we’ve always wanted.  More as it develops.

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Sources: Movehole – Chud – Collider – AintItCool – Hero Complex

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