If you’re a Captain America fan, today is a good day. Ever since Marvel revealed its plans to make a Cap movie a few weeks back, the rumour mill has been rapidly a-turning as to how it’s all going to pan out… Will it be set in the modern day? Will the flag-waving hero be contemporised? Will Matthew McConaughey be donning the Lycra?
Well, in a state of the comic universe address to CHUD.com, Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige has spoken out to set a few facts straight. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, he revealed that The First Avenger: Captain America (not Captain America: The First Avenger as originally reported) will be a period flick set during World War II. That’s great news for true believers as it follows the comic icon’s official origin story – skinny test subject Steve Rogers volunteers to be injected with a Super-Soldier serum that will turn him into the patriotic perfect human being – and will give us the opportunity to see Mr USA kicking all kinds of Nazi butt and most likely facing off against his uber-bastard arch-nemesis, the Red Skull.
Cap’s debut adventure is scheduled to hit cinemas in May 2011 a few months before Marvel’s hotly anticipated superhero team-up film The Avengers launches in July, which most likely means that the first film will end on a cliffhanger to be picked up in the second origin flick as (and this is if the films do follow the comic book timeline) – and you might call this a spoiler, albeit very small – the modern-day Avengers find Steve Rogers’ frozen body in the North Atlantic.
As with Marvel’s cross-pollination (which started with the Nick Fury appearance in Iron Man and will continue with the Tony Stark cameo in The Incredible Hulk), the comic book giant is looking to emulate its character-packed universe in its movie adaptations. But, while looking to appease long-time fans by immersing, Feige promises that you won’t need to see all of Marvel’s upcoming films to understand The Avengers.
“Each of them have to stand on their own,” Feige said. “You won’t have to have seen any of the films to understand The Avengers… but it will help.”
In a second bit of news, Feige also confirmed that Matthew McConaughey is not in consideration to play Captain America, which might be a relief to fans.
You can read more about Kevin Feige’s address here.