A new, regular feature here at IJM will be my thoughts and opinions on how I would handle a particular movie property or franchise that is filming or in some stage of development. To begin with, I thought I’d discuss how I would sculpt the perfect Captain America film.
We already (and after some deliberation) have our Steve Rogers in the guise of former Johnny Storm, Chris Evans. A safe choice certainly, no out-of-the-box thinking in this one, but then Captain America is a straight up, cookie-cutter hero, and I mean that with no disrespect. In Captain America lore, that is a reason why he is chosen, since he is a poster boy. I don’t like this idea of him being used as a morale-booster, sent on what are practically cabaret shows for the World War II soldiers. The Cap is supposed to be a strong authority figure, a leader, a man that deserves respect. How much respect could you imagine battle-hardened soldiers giving to such a character? Captain America needs to be fighting in the fields with his fellow soldiers, earning his experience and their respect on the frontline.
The costume can be dithered over with many different ideas of how it should be. The main thing I want to see is a realistic outfit, one that doesn’t seem useless or ridiculous on a battlefield. The “A” needs to be gone from on his head too. I feel the colours of the outfit and the star on the chest are ample representatione of the country for which he fights and stands.
It’s an obvious comparison, but the style of the film I would make is like that of “The Rocketeer.” Interestingly, “Captain America” director Joe Johnston helmed that film too, so I should get my wish. This may sound obvious, but bear with me — “The Rocketeer” is made in such a way that it makes the late ’30s, when it’s set, seem like a different time. So when Steve Rogers gets frozen in the Arctic wastes (probably), and wakes up in the modern era (either at the end of “The First Avenger: Captain America” or in “The Avengers”), it will make that huge change and transition for Captain America to deal with all that more apparent and affecting to the audience.
To expand on the Marvel Universe currently germinating in all the recent releases, I would maybe have some reference or maybe even a digitally-enhanced cameo from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Marvel fans will know Rogers, in some CA stories, knew Nick Fury during WWII due to Fury taking the “Infinity Formula” and aging at a much slower rate. You don’t have to go into great detail why Fury doesn’t age and risk alienating the mainstream audience, but if Richard Alpert on “Lost” can be timelessly young and not much is asked about it, why can’t Nick Fury be timelessly … err … Samuel L. Jackson-looking? It would also make Captain America’s integration into The Avengers all the more smooth if he had an old friend already in there.
The Red Skull. Now this is a tricky one. Hugo Weaving is rumoured for the role. Again another safe bet by the casting department. But in many of his incarnations, Johann Schmidt is the Nazi equivalent of Captain America. He is a product of Hitler’s version of the Super Soldier program. At the very least, he is a Nazi soldier at the top of his game, trained personally by Hitler. Can you imagine a bulked up Chris Evans going toe-to-toe with Hugo Weaving? For the non-action scenes, I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better than Weaving to add the intelligence and menace to proceedings, but I do think we would need somebody who can be a physical match to Steve Rogers, too.
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Very nice article ben
That was well thought out! not bad. Lets watch and see what happens….