Who Should Be Captain America?

Who Should Be Captain America?

Posted on Wednesday May 7, 2008, 10:45 by Chris Hewitt in Casting Couch

This may be the geekiest thing I’ve ever said, but if I could have a free webcam link-up with anywhere in the world right now, I wouldn’t plump for the usual salubrious suspects (so, Rosario Dawson, you can breathe a sigh of relief now and go about your business), but instead I’d choose to be connected to the office of Kevin Feige, President of Production at Marvel Studios.

Why? Because, whenever he has his back turned, I’d be trying to sneak a peek at the documents on his desk. Because I’m guessing that somewhere there, amidst the scripts, the detritus and half-filled coffee mugs, there might well be a piece of paper with a bunch of names on it. The names of the actors who could well fill the shoes of The First Avenger: Captain America.

Let’s ignore that horrible title – as Olly Richards so correctly pointed out in his story the other day, most people will just call the forthcoming movie ‘Captain America’, the same way as they’ll refer to X-Men Origins: Wolverine as ‘Wolverine’ or, in Helen O’Hara’s case, ‘My Happy Place’. Let’s focus on the positive: at long last, after many years of trying, Marvel has finally announced a concrete date for the big-screen debut of the last of its crown jewels – a man so A-list he wears the damn letter on his forehead. And that date is May 6, 2011.

At first, you might think that’s a long way away, so why bother about casting now? Well, a) because Captain America is such a big concern for Marvel that they’ll be leaving nothing to chance, b) filming could start as early as 2010, maybe even 2009, so this thing’s on the fast-track and c) I’m bored.

First off, let’s lay out a few ground rules here. It’s entirely possible that Marvel and whichever director they appoint to the gig will end up casting an unknown. After all, this role is so iconic, so weighty and so potentially controversial (we’re not entirely convinced that Captain America’s going to play that well in, say, Iran. Or Syria. Or Russia) that it’s hard to imagine a big-name star taking the risk. And right now, the perfect Captain America – blond, thirtysomething, built like a brick shithouse but not too ostentatiously, virtuous, noble, true and with a jaw that could cut diamonds – could well be waiting on tables at a Beverly Hills restaurant by night, while slogging through auditions by day.

But I’m not so sure. This, like I said, is the last of Marvel’s heavy hitters, and they’re going to go big with it. A-list director. A-list writer. And quite possibly, an A-list star. Or at least, someone we’ve heard of. So, without any further to-do, here are several names – in no particular order - that I think could well – or should well – be on the piece of paper that may or may not be on Feige’s desk right now. If only I could get this bloody webcam working, I’d be able to find out…

Matthew McConaughey
Not my first choice, by any stretch of the imagination, but already there are reports that suggest that McConaughey may be uppermost in the minds of the Marvel suits. And in a way, you can see why – McConaughey does tick most of the boxes. He’s blond, for starters. This is not a dealbreaker, as a later choice will illustrate, but if Marvel are going to cast a traditional Cap, I’d rather they went for a natural blond actor. It may be a minor quibble to some of you, but for me there are some dark-haired actors who just couldn’t pull off the dye job.
Then, he’s ripped. But not so ripped that we wouldn’t initially believe him as weedy soldier Steve Rogers before he’s transformed, via the super-soldier serum, into Hunk O’The Month, Steve Rogers (of course, this effect could be achieved via CG, as with Tobey Maguire’s emaciated look in Spider-Man).

He’s also roughly the right age. Captain America is a strange character in that Rogers needs to be young to convince as a grunt, but old enough so that he seems like a man’s man, and also so he’s convincing when he starts giving moralistic ‘it used to be all fields round here’-style lectures to people. So, while Rogers shouldn’t be as lived-in as, say, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, neither should he be gambolling through fields like a newly-born lamb. McConaughey is 38, which just might be perfect. If there’s a Cap movie every two or three years, he’ll still be mid-forties by the time the third one comes out. So we’d avoid any nasty Roger Moore in A View To A Kill-type moments, when you fear that the hero might be struck down at any moment, not by an assassin’s bullet, but by cardiac arrest.

However, there are cons to McConaughey – or McCons, if you will. Namely, that the guy has become something of a self-parody of late, appearing in endless waves of dreck, from Sahara to Fool’s Gold to Failure To flippin’ Launch, seemingly content to coast by on his toothy smile, considerable charm and ability to take his shirt off, no matter what the demands of the scene. And while he has proved in the past that he can act when he wants to – see Frailty or even We Are Marshall for proof of this – it might be hard to escape his stoner-slacker persona and take him seriously as Cap.

So I’d have to give him a 6/10.

Will Smith
To paraphrase the Consulate Envoy in Lethal Weapon 2, “but, but, he’s black!” Well, yes, Will Smith is black. No denying that. And Captain America is so very, very white. There’s also no denying that. And it would be a huge thing – an enormous page-one rewrite of the character – for a black actor to play the symbol of America, the flag-bearer of the most powerful country on the planet.

But if anyone can do it, Smith can. In fact, when I interviewed Smith for I, Robot back in 2004, I told him that I saw him playing Captain America one day. He smiled, and looked intrigued by the possibility. I’d like to think that maybe I set him to thinking about it, set him on a collision course with destiny. Of course, he might have simply been pressing the silent alarm button under his desk, but a guy can dream, right?

Smith has proved repeatedly that he’s a fine actor who can dispense with the jocularity and one-liners when he wants to. Captain America would give him a chance to firm his jaw, embody an icon and deliver a career-defining performance. There’s always a danger with Cap that he can be rather stiff and two-dimensional, a cipher rather than a character, but Smith has become more grizzled and interesting over the last few years, and I firmly believe he would have the charm and the credentials to pull it off.

Of course, there are obstacles in the way. Traditionalists wouldn’t stand for it, despite the fact that several Marvel characters have changed race on the big screen, from Michael Clarke Duncan’s Kingpin in Mark Steven Johnson’s Daredevil to *MINOR SPOILER* Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (if you’re wondering what I’m talking about, watch Iron Man and stick around for the very, very end) *MINOR SPOILER OVER*. But you could easily argue that Captain America was created in the 1940s, a time when the future was so white you had to wear shades, so it made sense for Cap to be caucasian. But now, why not have Captain America reflect a more modern and multi-cultural time? After all, there’s a great chance that, by the time Captain America opens in theatres, America will be under the leadership of its first black President, Barack Obama. Is it really too great a leap to make Captain America an African-American?

And, of course, Marvel has explored this idea before with the alternative universe tale, Truth: Red, White & Black, in which a black soldier, Isaiah Bradley, briefly became Captain America.

9/10

Brad Pitt
The A-lister who fits the job description to a tee. Or, at least, he did a couple of years ago. Now, William Bradley Pitt may be just a little too old – 47 by the time the first Cap movie came out, mid-50s by part three (if there is one). And while he takes good care of himself, so the Roger Moore Syndrome needn’t be a factor, we think that might just be a little too much. Also, we can’t really see Pitt committing to a three-picture deal, or wanting to squeeze himself into Cap’s red-and-white tights. OK, red, white and blue tights, but that didn’t rhyme.

However, you never know – if Marvel can persuade, ooh, David Fincher to direct, then he’s a shoo-in. With Edward Norton as The Red Skull?

8/10

Jason Lewis
Most of you will be saying, ‘Jason who?’, but Sex And The City fans will be screaming with delight right now. Am I right, ladies? High five! (I should explain… I bought my girlfriend a SATC box-set a couple of Christmases back and am fully versed in the show; it’s pretty good, actually. And I still have all my testicles.)

Anyway, Lewis played Smith on the show – the stud muffin boyfriend of Kim Cattrall’s Samantha. And in all respects, he’s pretty much perfect for the role, apart from the fact that he doesn’t show up on any A-lists right now. But he’s tall, blond, athletic, handsome, blue-eyed, and a fine actor. Marvel could do a lot worse. And we could always combine his Cap with a SATC sequel, which features Carrie Bradshaw wittering on about self-fulfilment, before she’s rudely interrupted by the Red Skull, who dropkicks her head off.

8/10

Aaron Eckhart
Again, the age thing is a factor – Eckhart is 40. And of course, he’s Two-Face in The Dark Knight (and very possibly a third Batman film), and might not want to take on another comic book movie role. But in every other respect, I can’t shake the feeling that Aaron Eckhart is about as perfect a fit for a traditional Captain America as there can be. His jaw is so firm and jutting that you could build a condo on it. He’s a damn fine actor – possibly the finest on this list. Any more blond, and he’d be albino. And he’s long, long overdue a shot at a hero role. It would seem that Eckhart naturally gravitates toward dark, twisted roles – his only big-budget hero role to date is The Core, but I recall him being quite effective in that, and would love to see him in Cap’s outfit. And no, it’s not a sex thing.

9/10

Josh Duhamel
There is one rule I’m not willing to bend for Captain America: the actor who plays him must must MUST be American. Which rules out the likes of Gerard Butler, Guy Pearce and Ryan Reynolds (he’s Canadian). But on the blond-haired thing, I’m prepared to be a little flexible, which opens the door for Duhamel.

The Transformers star has been on the cusp for a long time, without breaking into the A-list, but he’s a known quantity, convincing at the action stuff and charming enough to carry the movie, as anyone who saw his turn in Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! will know.

There are doubts over his acting chops, as he hasn’t really been put to the test on the big screen just yet (in fact, he’s currently working on Mark Steven Johnson’s comedy, When In Rome, which will be only his fifth movie), but certainly he’s square-jawed enough, and at 35, might be absolutely the right age for the part.

A dark horse?

7/10

Josh Lucas
While discussing this blog yesterday, Helen O’Hara was insistent that I include Josh Lucas as an option for Cap. I really don’t see it myself, but since Cap candidates are thin on the ground – I was getting so desperate at one point, I started musing over James Van Der Beek – he’s in. And yes, he’s blond, and yes, he’s a fine actor, but Lucas is so obviously more comfortable with playing villains – thanks to his slightly deranged glare, and his silky voice, which you can more easily imagine making ransom demands than inspirational speeches – that I don’t think he’d cut the mustard as Cap. You’d be half-expecting him to team up with The Red Skull or Flag Smasher halfway through the movie and gun down a busload of innocent kids – and that’s never a good feeling to have about your hero.

4/10

Patrick Warburton
This is not a serious suggestion – but he did play The Tick, and for that legendary performance alone, he should be considered for every role in every movie ever made.
11/10

Eric Close
When discussion of movie stars soon runs dry – Matt Damon is too normal, Ben Affleck too tainted, George Clooney too old – the talk turns to TV stars who deserve a breakthrough to the big time. But even then, the well soon runs dry. Lost’s Josh Holloway? Nope. Matthew Fox? Nope. How about that guy from Chuck? What, seriously?

But Eric Close shows promise. One of the stars of Without A Trace, he’s been quietly impressive for 136 episodes now without ever breaking into movies. He fits the bill looks-wise, and might be worth considering. We’d certainly give him a screentest.

6/10

So, what do you think, readers? Can you see any of these actors filling Cap’s wing-tipped boots? Have I made any glaring omissions? Could Will Smith really become Captain America? I look forward to your comments below.