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'Captain America': Chace Crawford? Robert Buckley? Captain Awesome?
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The announcement of who will play the title character in "Captain America: The First Avenger" is imminent, and as the time draws closer more and more names are being fed into the star-spangled rumor mill."Star Trek's" Chris Pine, who had the web abuzz a couple weeks ago, seems to have faded from view, only to be replaced by "One Tree Hill's" Robert Buckley. A post on Comic Book Movie last weekend connected him to "Captain America," and although the post was taken down a few hours later, several other sites picked up on it. "Chuck's" Ryan "Captain Awesome" McPartlin has also said that he auditioned to play Steve Rogers.
Now Deadline Hollywood is reporting that "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford, along with Michael Cassidy ("Privileged"), Patrick Flueger ("The 4400," "Brothers"), John Krasinski ("The Office"), Scott Porter ("Friday Night Lights") and Mike Vogel ("Cloverfield," CBS' "Miami Medical") are in contention, and at least some of them have screen-tested for the part.
(UPDATE 2/26: The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog also notes that "Young and the Restless" actor Wilson Bethel is in contention for the part.)
All of them -- with the exceptions of Pine and Krasinski -- satisfy "Captain America" director Joe Johnston's wish that his lead actor be a relative newcomer to feature films. Each actor could probably also believably pull off the weakling-to-super soldier transformation that's part of the character's origin story.
Johnston has said he hopes to have his star locked in before leaving for London to start pre-production on the film (shooting is slated to start in the summer for a 2011 release date. Before the official announcement is made, we want to hear your thoughts. Which of these actors should play Captain America -- or should it be someone else altogether?
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Related:
Could Chris Pine be Captain America?
Photo credits: WireImage (Crawford), NBC (Buckley, McPartlin)
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Jensen Ackles
Some of the names I don't recognize, but I don't see Chace Crawford and definitely not John Krasinski (although I am a fan of John).
Kellan Lutz
people who voted for Krasinski are idiots, total miscast
not as big of idiots as the voters for chace crawford. He COULD be a good actor but he is absolutely terrible on gossip girl and can pretty much only brood and look pretty. get jensen ackles.
Jensen Ackles please!
In some ways this list is disheartening, because it may indicate a disconnect between the director/production and the right sense of the character needed for this to be a great movie--specifically, they might be going a little too young/pretty-boy. This is the last of the individual character movies (Iron Man, Thor, Cap) that Marvel is producing leading into Avengers, and we have to believe that Cap is of a stature and character that he could lead a team with Iron Man on it. Can you imagine a scene where Robert Downey Jr. and Sam Jackson are subordinate to Chace Crawford? It's inconceivable. The two operate on different levels of craft, even in something like a superhero movie.
As for the others, Patrick Flueger is beautiful but demonstrates the emotional range of a brick. Michael Cassidy is fantastic and needs to become more high-profile immediately, but he doesn't seem a good fit--a little bit too sarcastic and maybe a touch smarmy for a iconic boy scout role. Not sure about Buckley's depth or McPartlin's ability to be more serious and not goofy, but both definitely have the look. Krasinski is great but all wrong for Cap. Pine probably is too high-profile now but might be able to do it (plus it would be a fun Kirk father-son reunion when Thor and Cap team up). Porter could be a really interesting choice--I could see it. Vogel... maybe. Ackles and Lutz also have a great look for the part, but, again, on screen with Downey and Jackson and I think they don't hold a candle.
Who are these people ? Will Cap be fightin' teabaggers in the movie ?
Mark Valley if you want to do it right. But if you must go "young" then I'd say Jensen Ackles(although he would have been a better Green Lantern) or Garret Hedlund.
Interesting point, LLC. I think the one out they may have is that this movie is set during World War II, while "Iron Man" et al take place in the present. They could conceivably age Cap up a little and hire an older actor for the Avengers movie. (Whether that's actually the plan, I have no idea. Just throwing that out there.)