The
First Avenger Gets Its Director
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| The
man who will give us Captain America. |
Marvel
officially announced today that The First Avenger: Captain
America (title given a colon so the second half can
be lopped off overseas) rolls forward with a director.
Joe
Johnston, currently working on The Wolfman with
Benicio Del Toro, will helm the hotly anticipated (by us,
anyway) picture. As had been announced earlier, they're
still aiming for a release date of May 6, 2011 for this
film, to be followed a month later by the Jon Favreau-produced
The Avengers.
Along
with the announcement, Marvel Studios sent a logline for
the film:
In
the early days of the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers volunteers
to participate in an experimental program that turns him
into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.
So far
so good, right?
At this
point, they don't have a script and they don't (to our knowledge)
have an actor signed, but the logline seems on track.
On track,
too, is that choice of Johnston. Yes, some have been groaning
that this former special effects wizard has been given the
job after less than spectacular work on Jurassic Park
III . And yes, he launched Disney's Honey, I Blanked
the Kids franchise.
More
importantly, though, he has proven himself very adept at
reaching into times past, a touch that will be absolutely
necessary for a Captain America film. Johnston guided Viggo
Mortensen across the Sahara in Hidalgo. That was
1890, and that's a decent little film.
| |
| Lightning
will strike twice. |
But he's
already made the grade with one of the single best comic book
to film adaptations ever -- Disney's The Rocketeer.
Speaking of that, where's the special edition DVD on THAT
one, Disney? Come ONNNNNNNN!!!
Ahem.
Johnston
captured the right blend of excitement, innocence and adventurousness
for the adaptation of Dave Stevens' masterpiece. We don't
need to see a grim and gritty Steve Rogers -- we need to
see a young man who represents the best of the spirit of
this country become the greatest hero of World War II. We
need hope, a living symbol of the flag.
I'll
put my money down now; Johnston did it once and he'll do
it again. Once again, Marvel Studios has made the right
choice, following Favreau, Leterrier and Branagh.
Now
who's got good casting choices for Steve Rogers himself?
If you say Matthew McConaughey, I'll hit Lon.
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