Chris Evans Offered Captain America

Word has gone out that the producers, wisely avoiding putting Jim Halpert in the red, white, and blue, have offered the role of Steve Rogers, or Captain America, to Chris Evans.  Of course, you know Evans from his role as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in the 2 Fantastic Four films. But you'll also know him from a slew of comic book movies, like the upcoming Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, and The Losers, as well as the superhero inspired, Push. Hell, he even did the voice of Casey in the TMNT movie. Either he's being typecast, or he loves him some comic book movies.

Can Evans pull off the gravitas that goes along with the shield in The First Avenger: Captain America? I don't think it's impossible.  He's certainly got the right kind of look, and a quick google search will show you that the dude is pretty huge.  He tends to play over the top, goofy guys, but I think he was the best part of Fantastic Four, and let's not forget his part in the wonderful Sunshine. I'll be interested to see how it's done, but right off, the idea doesn't scare me away.

And I'm sure you have your own thoughts on the subject.  Avengers assemble?

 

Comments

  1. Gut says too oung looking, but I’ll give it a shot!

  2. Avatar photo JFernandes (@jdfernandes) says:

    Chris Pine has been my recent choice, but I can see Chris Evans pulling it off.  Sunshine was great, and he was pretty good in London.

  3. The story is about his origin.  He was young.  Probably younger than Evans actually is.  Certainly soldiers in WWII were.

  4. At least it isn’t Jim from "The Office." I won’t cast final judgements until I see the piece opening night.

    -J.

  5. @josh: Thank you for acknowleding Evan’s role in sunshine. That is a great movie. I think he could pull off the role of Steve Rodgers but we’ll have to wait and see.  Also something just crossed my mind. For a dark headed actor he sure gets the leads for blonde headed superheroes.

  6. I actually totally think Krasinski was a good fit. With a haircut and a little bit of weight work for the later scenes it could totally work.

  7. As long as they don’t try to rewrite history and make Johnny Storm Cap lol

  8. I can dig it.

  9. Sunshine was the first thing I thought of when they announced this.  That role was way different from what he’s done as The Torch or any of his other "goofy" roles.  It’s something that everyone I think can look to and feel a little bit better about this being a reality.

  10. Best choice anyone has mentioned so far. If he can avoid smirking and the script can avoid snark & sarcasm, he might be able to pull it off. 

     

  11. I’m not really familiar with Evan’s established work, But he seems like he could be a good fit for Cap.

  12. I think it’s a mistake.  Once he was Johnny Storm, that should have been it for Evans in Marvel movies.  I am personally going to have trouble getting past the switch of characters, especially since both characters are in the same world.  It would be like if Casey Affleck had tried to play Danny Ocean in Ocean’s 12. 

  13. Eh…..I dont think so. I mean he is young enough to do it. But I’m not really fond of his work and I don’t find him that good of an actor.

    It’s nice that he seems to love to do comic films…..Just I don’t see this working. 

  14. @Doski

    Except that the Fantastic Four (so far) isn’t in the Cap movie world.

  15. @Doski, they’re recasting Spider-man and I’m hoping they’ll quickly reboot the FF and give us an awesome Dr. Doom and a CG Thing by way of Avatar emotion-capture technology.   I don’t want the Marvel Universe limited by weak early choices.   You wouldn’t want a bad artist kept on a comic just because he was there first.  Same with the movies.

  16. @Doski & @ Slockhart: Not to mention the chances of a Cap/Fantastic Four crossover movie is slim to say the least. Also arn’t they rebooting Fantastic Four?

  17. @jmstump: Well said sir!!! Sunshine is an awesome movie, watch it everyone!!!!

  18. The Fantastic Four movies and the the Captain America film will never cross over. Fox has the rights to those F4 films, Marvel/Disney have the rights to Captain America. 

  19. Marvel/Disney will get the rights back them eventually. But this casting is weird to me, we already saw him as a Marvel hero. I’m almost getting to the point where I don’t want this movie to happen.

     On a sidenote Sunshine is an awesome movie. 

  20. Deadpool as Hal Jordan doesn’t bother me and those films will be just, what, 2 years apart? Johnny Storm can wait 4 years and wield the shield, no problem. Evans was the best of an iffy lot, IMO.

    Err…also this is all based off the assumption that Evans will indeed say yes. This could all be a stunt by Marvel to get Channing, Vogel or the other guy from Tr2n (who I was rooting for) to sign the 9 picture deal with the $300k paycheck.

  21. Doesn’t scream out super-soldier, but none of the candidates did.  Hopefully he has already started bulking up even if before trying out

  22. I was hoping Chris Evans got the role. Very excited!

  23. So. Excited. Will. Be. Awesome. Period. ..

  24. No Chris Pine, no Channing Tatum, and no Chris Evans. PLEASE! Especially not Evans, I hate when one actor plays multiple characters from essentially the same universe.

    I already hate the fact that Reynolds is playing not only Hal Jordan but Deadpool as well (even though that’s not the same universe). I don’t particularly like Deadpool but I think they should go the V for Vendetta route on that movie. Have the character always be in costume with a voice over, preferably voiced by Nolan North (since he did Deadpool in Hulk vs). 

  25. He’d be a decent choice I don’t think there is anyone out there who is "perfect" for the role

  26. I really like Chris Evans. He is going to be great Captain America. Can’t wait to see him in Scott Pilgrim and the Losers.

  27. I doubt any actor would take the deal they are offering. The intrawebs inform me that Marvel is offerin 300k per movie for a possible 9-picture deal. That is really low considering the amount of money they are making. With the “Rhodey” debacle and then the Sam Jackson “Maybe I wont play Nick Fury” thing just before he signed his deal, makes me think Marvel Studios isn’t treating its actor’s right.

  28. Chris Pine would be a far better choice, at least he can act, Chris Evans is a douch….

  29. I think Evans is not great, but not bad for the role.  Conversley, with Iron Man, from the moment it was announced, I thought Robert Downey, Jr was inspired casting. 

    I just hope we don’t see the "singing and dancing" USO show Cap that the director has me fearing.

  30. If you guys are complaining that he’s too young that is not the case at all. From what I hear they are going a bit like a combo of the ultimate & 616 universe captains & they are both very young to begin with, I think around 17-19? It’s the steroid therapy & the super soldier serum that makes him look older i think. I wonder if they wanna do the transformation be like in cast away, have the first half be the actor not so muscular be kind of scrawny, & then the last half he gets bulked up once he becomes Captain America, idk that might take a lot of time though, any thoughts?

  31. I am willing to erase my memories of the Fantastic Four movie, if necessary.

  32. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Evans would be a fine choice. I really don’t understand all the criticism. The Fantastic Four movies and this film are not in the same universe. So, get over that real quick. And as Josh and others have mentioned, the guy showed his dramatic chops in Sunshine. He has the range for this. 

    Also, he’s a person you’ve never met. He’s not a "douch."  

  33. People are making up a continuity and connected universe where there is none. These are not Marvel Comic books.

  34. Just wait till they make a Squadron Supreme movie. People will shit their pants with the "where does this fit into movie continuity" discussion. And let’s not even get started on the eventual "Exiles" movie. People will blow their heads off trying to figure that one out.

  35. I never judge an actor in a role until I’ve seen it. People do that all the time and they are proven wrong a lot. Remember when Michael keaton was cast as Batman and everybody bitched about it? Then when they announced the sequel everybody said "I’m not seeing it if Keaton doesn’t come back!" I like to wait and see. With the right director and editor, almost any actor can be good in most roles. 

  36. I won’t front – I immediately got a continuity twitch when I read the announcement.

    I have no qualms with this offer. Let’s hope he takes it and we get one hurdle closer to seeing Captain America on the big screen.

    I think the real news will be who they get to play Red Skull. To date we have not seen a "would-be world conquerer" level villain in these Avengers movies (McKellan as Magneto and DeFoe as Norman Osbourne were outstanding but technically don’t "count"; omission of McMahon as Dr. Doom for obvious, still head-shaking reasons). It would not surprise me to see a big(ger) name in the bad guy role here.

  37. Calm down. Evans has another film that conflicts with Captain America’s production schedule. This probably won’t happen, and it would be terrible if it does.

  38. I think Evans is a good choice. He’s got the look and is a solid actor. And he is not John Krazinski. 

    Compared to all the other young up and comers associated with the role, Evans is great. The only downside is that he isn’t a total unknown who you’d associate as strictly Steve Rogers and nothing else. But they didn’t do that with Iron Man or the Hulk, so I guess that’s not that big a deal.

    And who cares if he was in F4? Those movies weren’t any good. And if they ever do another one, it’s going to have a new cast. If your reason for not liking him being in the old F4 movies is your inner comic book geek won’t allow for two Marvel heroes to exist in your mind as the same actor, come on now. The old crappy F4 movies don’t even exist in the current Marvel owned universe of continuity (Iron Man, Hulk, Cap, Thor, etc) anyway. 

  39. Evans is the best choice so far. He is a really talented actor and I would love to see him in a role like this. No reason to complain people. This is a good thing.

  40. I’d be okay with that. I have a liking of Chris Evans I can’t explain.

  41. Evans might be able to pull this off, I haven’t really seen him in any convincing roles yet.  I was hoping for Pine.

     

    Sidenote:  Sunshine is one of the most gorgeous movies I have ever seen, but the story takes a poor turn in the last quarter.  Visually though it is definitely a must see!!

  42. For those unsure of his talents, I’m with all those recommending you watch Sunshine to see Evans show off his dramatic skills. Great movie from beginning to end. 

  43. For all of those who want Steve Rogers to look "like a super soldier"…. what exactly are you going for?  Do you want Arnold from Conan? Did those of you not on board with Evans also dislike Tim Roth as Blonsky?  Tim Roth didn’t really get appreciably bigger after his injection and I was completely OK with that.

  44. Before I saw him in Sunshine I probably would have balked at this, but he did a great job in that awesome sci-fi movie.  I think he’s capable of playing a serious character.  Plus, you have to think that with all the media surrounding the movie, they’re not just offering the role to anybody.  He had to compete against other people for it from what it sounds like. 

  45. I can definitely support this. However my favorite for the role, and I know he isn’t American, is Daniel Craig. I mean can you think of a more perfect Cap jaw line?

  46. Finally. Glad it’s someone I like as an actor. Also glad all the casting news will be over if he accepts. This was nearing a Superman Returns casting level of annoyance. Remember when they wanted Brenden Fraser for that?

  47. I really can’t see this going well, but I’ve been wrong before so what do I know.

  48. Wasn’t Ryan Reynolds cast as Hannibal King in Blade Trinity before Deadpool in X-Men Origins? Not only did he play 2 characters in the same “universe,” but the way those characters were treated they were basically the same same damn thing. And it was no big deal.

  49. @Smasher: I think they’ve already announced that Hugo Weaving is playing the Red Skull

  50. @Johnvferrigno

    You’re wrong sir! Comic nerds never bitch about anything before the intrawebs. EVAR!

  51. Despite what I said earlier, I actually kinda like the FF movie.

  52. I could see that. Did anyone see Push? He was in that and it was a superhero movie, too, right? I never got around to seeing it. He seems perfectly capable in action roles.

  53. Avatar photo JFernandes (@jdfernandes) says:

    As long as they don’t cast Shia Lebeouf as Bucky, I think I might be fine with any choice for Captain America.

    I gotta be honest, though.  I was hoping they were going for an older-looking Cap so they could cast Aaron Eckhart.  He needs to be in more non-rom-com movies.

  54. I think he’s a great choice.  I’m very happy with this decision.

  55. I don’t really care for his work. So I am hoping for someone else

  56. @Patman2

    Thanks, I hadn’t realized that was announced already.
    No qualms with Weaving as Red Skull – in fact I’m rather intrigued.

  57. I’m confused why they are considering another actor when the director already listed his choices for the roles.

    Guess that means none of them were interested or Marvel Studios didn’t care for them. 

  58. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Those actors did screen tests and evidently weren’t the right fit for the studio/filmmakers. 

  59. I’d say he’s the least bad choice so far. Granted, that’s after a string of some pretty awful possibilities. I like him. But as Cap he doesn’t thrill me.

    This is hard. I would’ve thought Cap would be an easy casting job. I still love Mark Valley for the role but obviously he’s much older than Rogers was when he signed up.

    I understand that origin stories are neccessary for the general audience, and sometimes it’s fun to see a tale I know well retold on screen. But like many of us I tend to read most heroes as being in their thirties or forties. Just once I’d like to see a mid-career superhero film.

  60. When compared to most of the actors mentioned to be in the running I love this choice.  He wouldn’t be my first choice, but last time I checked I’m not a studio-head.  I’ve never seen him play serious so I have no idea what he’s capable of, but I don’t get upset at the mention of his name next to Cap’s.

  61. Chris Evans is ok, who cares if he was in FF.

    I am glad Channing Tatum was not picked. He is the worst actor of his generation. Although he is quite a dancer.

  62. Though I don’t think that Evan’s will do a bad job as CA. I still have to say that Jeremy Renner would be the perfect choice to be the star spangeled avenger.

  63. I was hoping for 6 Street, but it’s better than Halpert.

  64. Even though I have a heterosexual man crush on Chris Evans but I question his ability to play Capt. America. If he becomes Cap

  65. You know I was kinda getting used to the idea of Jim Halpert as Cap…

    Chris Evans is cool. If he gets this he will have one-uped Ryan Reynolds when it comes to playing comic book characters.

  66. Do we know if this is going to have WWII and present day elements?

  67. @s1lentslayer: Yes, but mostly WWII.

  68. a 9 picture deal is lot to ask of a young actor, job security is one thing but being tied to a charcter

    for a decade?

  69. @muddi900 LOL! they did bitch, but it was mostly to their random group of friends at the comic shop, not a worldwide audience on the internet. I kind of miss the old days…. 

  70. A 9 picture deal!  Holy hell!  He better be good or Marvel’s movie franchise could be in dire straits.

  71. Anything is better than John Krasinski. 

  72. It’s a nine movie deal but I’m sure both the company and the actor have "outs" in case there are ,ajor issues.

    Evans is a decent actor and I didn’t even think of him. He’s a good age, 29 might even be on the edge of too old but he looks younger so it works. I definitely was worried they’d go with someone I’d hate, some teeny bopper kid.

    I hope he can pull off the stoicism required of the character and at the same time the warm humor that Steve Rogers has. It’s a complex character, I hope he does it justice.

  73. You know, I’m just gonna sound like "one of those" fans but this move has shown me I was right to Have Zero Interest in this movie.

    They don’t even need to actually get him, that he was even a consideration is what makes me realize they’re not looking for a Persona, they’re not looking for someone to play a poingnaint and meaningful character for an equally poingnaint and meaningful script, they just want some pretty boy action star to make jokes at the camera while he blows shit up. And yeah, that’s exactly what the Iron Man movie is, and you know what, that’s the Iron Man movie, that’s fine for the Character of Tony Stark, it makes sense, this is why I didn’t have a coniption fit when I heard who would play him, but this isn’t the kind of guy who you can have make jokes at the camera and blow shit up with. This is Captain America. He means more than that. 

    If Chris can pull this off, I’ll take this back, but well, from what I’ve seen of this guy, unless he’s been majorly type casted in the past, I don’t think what I’m looking for in a Captain America Movie will be made. Then again, what I want in a Comic Book movie hasn’t been made and probably never will. What I want is to see a comic book movie, that isn’t a Comic Book movie. Really, I just don’t want to see a Comic Book movie. I want to see a Movie. I like Comics, I like comics as they are, and I don’t like the idea of someone saying "This is such a good story, I would love to see it as a Movie." As a writer, that hurts me and offends me. If I chose to make a comic book, I don’t want someone telling me that I should make a Movie, if I wanted a movie, I’d have made the movie myself, not some jerk telling me how my story should have ended.

    I just hate Adaptations. 

    But I do like Tangents.

  74. Count in the group of fans that hate reusing an actor who has already played a different Marvel Comics character. Yes, I know that they may not attribute these characters to the same universe in a movie, but that’s just lazy storytelling by a writer. The reason why these characters are popular is because they share the same universe. I was actually hoping that a relative unknown would have been cast as Cap. I think that would have fit a little better with the Captain America story.

  75. How is that the writer’s fault?

  76. Hey, if the movie’s great, then it’s a brilliant choice.  If not, well then we can all sit back and say "I told you so!"   

    I think it all comes down to killing the dream of a generation of continuity nerds who saw their chance at having a seamless movie universe all come together.  I may have been one of those nerds… sigh. 

  77. I have to agree with Josh.. I dont understand how that is the writers fault. These writers have been given a specific group of characters, in this case Captain America, and to be honest they have done a pretty good job so far on the marvel side. People forget that Fantastic Four, Daredevil and the Xmen arent under the marvel umbrella for movies at this time. And im sure the writers didnt blatantly go against anything in FF or the Xmen movies. If anyone you should blame the casting directors…

     That said, based of his performance in Sunshine and the material being based in WWII and not now, i think he does have the chops to pull this off. I know that he has a persona of being the goof but if he dials in the right way this could prove to be a great hire.   

  78. @josh and others 

    So basically people don’t have a problem with him because Fantastic Four and Captain America aren’t in the same "universe." It’s like saying you wouldn’t have a problem with Tobey Maguire playing Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and Iron Man in multiple movies because they technically aren’t in the same "universe." While we’re at it, lets get Chris Evans to play Ant-Man in the upcoming movie as well.

    And I was under the impression that Marvel is trying to accomplish a single universe in these films. Or is that just for characters that will show up in the Avengers movie? All other Marvel movies won’t be in the same universe?

  79. @THX7168: The only Marvel movies in the same universe are those produced by Marvel Films. That’s not the Fantastic Four movies or the Spider-Man movies or GHOST RIDER or PUNISHER or basically all the non-Avengers movies.

  80. @conor: Ah, I see now. I thought ever since they planned this single universe thing, that they’d apply that to any future sequels for previous Marvel flicks.

    I still don’t agree with the one actor multiple character scenario. Even if they have nothing to do with eachother. 🙂

  81. Not only should an actor not be able to play two super heroes, they shouldn’t be able to play two roles, period. Once they play one character, that should be the only character they can ever play, ever, for the rest of their lives. So either snag yourself a franchise in your first role, or make one movie and then go bag groceries at Stop and Shop. 

  82. Bla, bla, bal…

     

    I like Evans, he’s cool. Maybe he has it in him. I’d be cool with it it. Sure, Chris Pine would appease everyone’s mind, he can certainly go toe to toe with IM and Fury. But who was he before that awesome performance in Trek? Aha! Lindsay Logan’s muffin boy!  C/mon, maybe Evans will shine for this one. I’m sure he can act. And FYI, I’ve already forgot those FF movies, not that great! They did not exist in my mind. May he turn in n awesome performance that makes him a great surprise!

  83. @John-Hear, hear sir!!  My mind just gets too confused when I see an actor who I have assigned to a certain character playing a different role.

  84. Chris Pine’s out because I can’t stand the idea of an actor playing 2 characters who are great leaders both called Captain.

    You know, not only are the FF movies not in the same "universe" they’re not even related to the Marvel movies in any business sense.  They’re different companies, with different producers, writers, and executives.  The fault for that, if you find that being a fault, is that Marvel licensed those rights to other studios, and the only thing those studios care about is putting together the best movie package for producing the maximum profit. Once those properties are licensed, Marvel’s got nothin’ to do with it, on any level.

  85. You know what really ticks me off, is when Patrick Stewart plays roles in different Shakespeare plays. How the hell am I supposed to picture him as King Lear when i saw him as MacBeth just a while ago. Actually all people who play a role in Shakespeare should only be allowed to do it once.

    Or they could just get the best person for a role. If Chris Evans will make a good Johnny, Captain America, Hawkeye in different movies or even Daredevil and Elektra in the same movie. If the movies are better by that decision then that is what "should" be done. What people seem to be describing is their own inability to just go into a movie and judge it on it’s own merits.

  86. You know what?  I think they should just let the new Captain America be able to fly.  And, while we are at it, let’s give him x-ray vision, super spead, and the ability to teleport.  Apparently, it’s a hideous thing to want a comic book universe in a movie to match the way that comic book universe actually exists in a comic book, so if we are just throwing everything to the wind, for the sake of making a "good movie," continuity be damned, then let’s just give Cap web shooters too, and a ring which lets him shoot energy blasts.  And, whoever they decide should play Captain America, I think they should let him play the villain, co-star, and any extra’s in the film.  It’s not about making things make sense anyway, so let’s just forget every attempt to make things make sense.  And, Josh, the reason it’s the writers fault, is because most writers who complain about continuity, are only complaining, because they are too lazy to do the proper research, and they can’t be bothered with trying to make things make sense.  They’d rather just say "I know there are fans that have been following these charactes for years, and have seen the way they have been developed, but I don’t want to spend the time to go back and see how this character has been developed, so I’m just going to be an ostrich, and bury my head in the sand, regarding a characters past or interactions with other characters, because I just want to tell a "good story.  I’m also going to insult the fans of this character, by telling them that everything they have learned about this character over the years isn’t relevant, because it’s not party of MY story."  For some reason, I fail to see how doing proper research, and paying attention to the history of a character or the interactions of characters within in the same universe is such a huge obstacle for a writer to tell a "good story."

  87. You know Stan Lee basically plays a different character in each Marvel movie? Unless you can tie them all together, I am OUTRAGED.

    And don’t get ,me STARTED on that bastard Bruce Campbell in the Spider-man trilogy. 🙁

  88. Aren’t they going to include the Invaders in this first movie? So if he gets he will have played as, and against, the Human Torch. He’ll need to tone down his goofiness, but this could work.

  89. No one’s said a single thing about the story. Casting has nothing to do with story.

  90. I, for one, like to imagine possible stories where the Avengers and Fantastic Four can both appear in a movie.  If the same actor is cast as the Human Torch and Captain America, those hopes are doomed.  So, casting does affect story.

  91. Unfortunately, your imagination will have to do, because the FF rights belong to Fox, and there will be no chocolate in your peanut butter.

  92. This’ll blow your mind! Suppose they put the Invaders in the movie also. Cast Evans as the OTHER Human Torch as well. Then casting would effect the story because then it would be in the same movie. Even casting the same actor as multiple characters has been done before. Either way, The F4 movies are going to get rebooted whenever FOX decides to make another one.

     

    I hope everyone’s sarcasm detectors went off. Standard issue for all website comment posters.

  93. I find it very funny that people are freaking out over the possibility (and it is still ony a possibility at this point) of Chris Evans playing multiple super hero roles when, if most internet comic book fans had their way, Nathan Fillion and Chris Pine would take alternate turns staring as every major super hero in every new super hero movie.

  94. Its just like when no one thought Michael Keaton could play Batman because he was a comedic actor, and how did that turn out?

  95. They’re rebooting the Fantastic Four movies. This guy doesn’t play that part anymore.

    Can everybody relax and have their cookies now? Or did I BLOW YOUR MIND? This guy is playing TWO COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS, and one of the characters is being played by TWO DIFFERENT GUYS.

    God help us all if Eric Bana shows up in one of these movies.

  96. This could have been WAY worse. Remember the dismay over Robert Downey Jr.

    In todays marketing, I am just happy that the actor’s last name was not JONAS!

  97. Wow! It must be the heat! People need some lemonade and chill. @wondermanfan is correct the Producers should read every Captain America comic ever published. EVER! Because that’s the only way to make a movie based on the character.

     

    No, I don’t get the point of the hissyfit. They are casting the best actor possible, or atleast the best actor possible who’d take the shitty deal they’re offering.

  98. @Unoob: The reaction to Downey’s casting was pretty positive, at least around here.

  99. Is this movie even going to have bucky? I haven’t heard anything or at least don’t remember any mention.

  100. I hadnt considered Evans for Cap, but I think it is a good choice.

  101. I don’t mind actors playing multiple roles, within reason though. Ryan Reynolds being three comic characters (2 Marvel, 1 DC) isn’t a problem. Cause he was the right choice for each role and those films aren’t really going to be relevant to each other. If the FF was in the Marvel Studios universe, then I’d have a problem with Evans being offered the role. Cause to me that just doesn’t make sense. Not like a FF/Cap or FF/Avengers film will ever be filmed; but logistically it will be confusing to the public.

    Don’t say that it won’t because we’re talking about the same comic fans who complained about the logistics of ‘Guardians of the Globe’ when they knew it was a joke.

  102. @Jimski 

    Ok, if FF is being rebooted (and Evans isn’t going to be the Human Torch anymore), then I don’t have a problem with him playing a different Marvel character. Though I still do have a problem with him playing Captain America. I’ve never seen this "Sunshine" movie that’s been mentioned, so I don’t know if he really can do a serious performance. But I’ll always see him as the guy that plays roles like in Not Another Teen Movie, Cellular, and the Human Torch in FF.

    Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Edward Norton as The Incredible Hulk…Chris Evans as Captain America? Does no one see a problem with that? Two fantastic actors…and Chris Evans…

  103. @THX: It doesn’t have to be a big name actor to play a character. I do applaud Marvel for actually trying to find a younger actor just for the sake of making a good film. It’s not like any of the old Batman films where they got big name actors and had to figure out who they could play.

    "Let’s see…..Jim Carrey is pretty wild and energetic. I got it! We’ll change the whole dynamic of The Riddler and make him the villain!"

    Either way the idea of Evans being Cap just doesn’t suit me. He isn’t that great of an actor. 

  104. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I think there’s a misconception that Evans is basically Dane Cook. He isn’t. Guy has chops. 

    Also gotta love: "I haven’t seen Sunshine, so I’m going to pretend it doesn’t exist."  

  105. @Paul: We might all be suffering from that his films are relatively bad or not received well then just he isn’t a good actor.

    I think it’s both in this case, cause I am willing to concede he makes a good performance in Sunshine. But that is his only highlight compared to his other work. Unless we really want to highlight Not Another Teen Movie, Push, or Street Kings as his ‘chops’.

  106. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I thought he put in good performances in Sunshine, Push, London, TMNT, and the FF movies. Sometimes you have to look past the script a bit and weigh an actor’s performance apart from the lines he’s been given. Even if the movies aren’t always great, he’s typically one of the high points. 

  107. The real thing people should be concerned with is that Joe Johnston is, at best, a mediocre director, and we’ve seen nothing special in his career that would make me hope for anything other than an "OK" movie.

  108. @josh: He’s done some good stuff as a director.

    The Rocketeer was a good, old school adaptation. The Wolfman was a good adaptation and October Sky was also done well. Then you have the other side of the coin with Hidalgo, Jumanji, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids….Then again two of those films are for kids so can we judge them that harshly?

    @Paul: That’s where I was getting at. Just because the film was bad doesn’t mean the actors didn’t try. Although I still think Evans didn’t do much to make the films better if that’s the case. 

  109. @Josh: People said similar things about Jon Favreau before IRON MAN.

    I’d also agree with TNC that THE ROCKETEER and OCTOBER SKY were fantastic films.

  110. @Conor Favreau was robbed of a Best Director Oscar for Elf.

  111. I hope Erik Bana gets cast as Bucky. I’m also pulling for Ben Affleck to be Namor. The creepy bald-kid mutant from X3 should be Toro.

    I agree with @conor and @tnc, Johnson has some great work in his repertoire.

  112. Maybe they can do a Black Panther movie where Eddie Murphy plays every role

  113. YES A THOUSAND TIMES for what Ferrigno said.

  114. Is this the part when I write 1000 words in protest to your disagreement with mine, or when I just accept our difference of opinion on something that doesn’t even exist yet?

    (lack of sleep and cranky baby make Josh go something something.)

  115. I can’t wait until tomorrow when Chris Evans turns down the part and we’re all back to square one, only to return when Channing Tatum gets cast as Cap.

  116. @Conor and Josh: you do realise you posted the story on your website, right?

  117. @Conor I’m thinking Zac Efron myself

  118. @edward … yes…?

  119. And look at all those wonderful pageviews!

    You can have a party, and invite everyone over, but it doesn’t mean they have to shit on the rug.

    This is likely an exaggerated metaphor.

  120. I think the Jewish Golum story is a better metaphor. i’m mean, you made the website but it will eventually destory you. You know this, right?

  121. This thread has been fun to watch.. who cares that he played Johnny Storm. As has been said, the rights for each franchise is owned by different production studios. If he wants to work, let him go work.  If Marvel wants to recast RDJ as Bucky or Red Skull, go right ahead.  It won’t affect my enjoyment of the movie if it’s a good movie.

    To the people that have suggested that casting Evans as Cap after he was in FF would confuse some movie goers: honestly? Do you really believe that? Are there people in the world that can’t differentiate between movies (i’m sure there are some folks with particular brain disorders that can’t)?  Holy crap!  What the hell is Han Solo doing running around with Nazis trying to find the Ark of the Covenant?!?!  

  122. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002653/bio

    "Eventually, Johnston decided to leave [George] Lucas’ company and travel with the money he had saved up. But Lucas suggested that he go to USC film school (his alma mater), which Lucas would get him to the front of the line for applicants, pay for his tuition, and keep Johnston as a part time employee with his salary. Johnston said he would have been crazy not to accept the offer and immediately said yes."

    My question is, how do you get that kind of fortune? Fantastic.

  123. Sweet jesus! Won’t someone think of Bruce Campbell in all of this!?

  124. @siraim You reminded me of this

  125. @tnc If you say anything bad about Honey I Shrunk The Kids I’m going to have to have words with you.

  126. @gobo: I love Honey I Shrunk the Kids! I ruined my VHS copy of Jumanji when I was little cause I saw it a billion times. It’s actually quite bizarre that a director who did two films from my childhood is now doing Captain America.

    Weird. 

  127. Three, I would be glued to the screen whenever The Rocketeer came on WPIX as a kid.

  128. @CalebTheTimeTraveller: I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’ve only seen him in Fantastic 4, maybe Push. Go and watch Sunshine and London, and you’ll see he’s actually a pretty good actor. Or perhaps that’s not good enough for you.

  129. I was about to say something about thinking Honey, Jumanji, or Rocketeer, were horrible films. He also did a good job with October Sky, if you ask me. Wolfman kind of wasn’t his fault, as the studio brought him in to finish a movie they kicked the original director off of. I, also, don’t really blame him for Jurrassic Park 3 because even if he is buddy buddy with Speilburg, that script was lacking. Plus, with elements of Jumanji, October Sky, and The Rocketeer, I say he enjoys going back in the past with movies, or it seems to work for him.
    On the subject of Evans, I like his performances in the movies he’s in, despite their overall quality. He does comman attention, which I think is key in playing Cap. The other name I’ve been hearing, Channing Tatum, is the one that would scare me.

  130. I hold a completely nonsensical grudge over this movie. After 9/11, I can’t believe somebody at Marvel, probably that asshole Avi Arad, wasn’t like "Oh, don’t we have a character named fucking America? Why don’t we make a movie about him immediately."

    Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see this when it comes out and although I would probably prefer Chris Pine to Chris Evans, I’m sure they’re basically the same in the end. I certainly can’t think of anybody better, really. 

  131. @GleepGlop Rushing out a Captain America just to ride on the patriotic ferver of 9/11 would have been an incredibly pigheaded and insenstive thing to do.  We would have at worse ended up with a horribly jingoistic slugfest or at best yet another comic book movie fans would cringe to think about.  Moreover they probably would’ve ended up unable to do the Avengers movie because whoever they licensed out the character to would have a hold on the rights the way Fox and Sony did with FF and the X-Men.

  132. I trust Johnston with this, perhaps because he’s done so many films I have either loved or simply enjoyed.

  133. @Heroville Well, sure, now that we know about the Avengers plan and what a licensing mistake it would have been, and essentially everything else you said, too, I agree with you in retrospect. But for Marvel’s business stand point back then (I worked in a theater at that time so I probably thought about it more back then than most people) I really think they should have if for no other reason than they were really doing things right for the most part at that time. The first X-men movie had just come out about a year ago I think and Spider-man was about 6 months out, so I had confidence that Avi Arad (again, retrospect proves I’m wrong) was smart enough to do it right. Plus I love being passionate about 9/11 for all the wrong reasons.

  134. I’m not excited at all. It’s not about a "Marvel conflict", it’s just that Chris Evans has made his face known one too many times in the comic book adaptation world. Are there no other talented male actors out there who could don the Patriot mantra? Why not Mark Valley? A little older, but at least he has that look that I know Steve Rodgers for.

    Maybe I’ve lost my mind here, and I’m all alone.. But I personally feel that Evans as Cap was a horrid choice on the behalf of the producers. I do not concur.

  135. @theGirl: Mark Valley is 45 years old.

  136. Mark Valley also has a distinct lack of personality and has the emotional expressiveness of a doorknob.

  137. @conor and @muddi900 while I do concur, He does have the look, if that’s all we’re going for. Acting wise, dangle the big bucks in his face, break out the acting whip and watch the sucker fly. He’d do fine with the right director, besides even though he’s flat, I’ve seen him come out a little bit on Boston Legal. He just needs to be given the chance.

  138. @thegirl: I think he’s a fine actor. But again, he’s 15 years too old for the part.