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IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/) | Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America_in_other_media#The_First_Avenger:_Captain_America)
A film entitled The First Avenger: Captain America, directed by Joe Johnston, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, is due for release on July 22, 2011. The film will be a period piece set entirely during World War II. Filming has been booked to take place primarily at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, California.
The First Avenger: Captain America Full Synopsis Revealed
We already confirmed back in May after Marvel's announcement of The First Avenger: Captain America that the film would be set in WWII. But an actual plot synopsis beyond that hasn't ever been released. In the latest issue of Production Weekly, a new full plot synopsis for the project was published. I'm a bit hesitant to trust this magazine, since they seem to have a lot of information on a project that's very far out, but for now this is what we'll go with. It does seem accurate and it does seem like a great way to introduce us to Captain America before progressing into The Avengers movie just months later.
"Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the 'Super-Soldier Serum' and bombarded by 'vita-rays.' Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers."
Reading that actually makes me wonder whether they just took the standard synopsis from some sort of Marvel database and used that until the studio puts out something officially. Either way, I'm glad that they're sticking with the original Captain America story and going all the way back to WWII. That should make for the perfect introduction just months before we move into the Avengers story. No director or actors have been officially announced yet. The First Avenger: Captain America will hit theaters on May 6th, 2011 with its follow-up, The Avengers hitting theaters on July 15th, 2011.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/05/the-first-avenger-captain-america-full-synopsis-revealed/ (http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/05/the-first-avenger-captain-america-full-synopsis-revealed/)
Joe Johnston Directing Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America
Marvel has officially announced that Joe Johnston will direct the upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. Johnston previously directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, October Sky, Jurassic Park III, and Hidalgo, and also has The Wolf Man coming up in March. Johnston now joins the ranks of Jon Favreau, Louis Leterrier, and Kenneth Branagh as Marvel's dream team of directors set to turn bring the real Marvel universe to life in a series of films that will eventually converge in The Avengers in 2011. It's pure coincidence that this news hits on the same evening that I wrote about the return of WWII movies, considering The First Avenger: Captain America will be set during that time.
Marvel first met with Johnston two years ago and their meetings have continually led to Captain America. Marvel's Kevin Feige is producing the film, which will be set during World War II, although no writer is attached yet. Marvel claims they are still hearing pitches on story ideas and will hire a screenwriter soon. Unfortunately Johnston isn't the most exciting choice for director, although Feige references other elements of his background to the contrary. "This is a guy who designed the vehicles for Star Wars, who storyboarded the convoy action sequence for Raiders of the Lost Ark," Feige said. "From Rocketeer to October Sky to The Wolfman, you can look at pieces of his movies and see how they lead to this one."
Captain America was first created in 1941 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon and is the alter ego of Steve Rogers. Rogers volunteered for a top-secret defense project called Operation: Rebirth after he was deemed too sickly to join the army. He was the first human test subject for the Super-Solider serum which transformed him into a human with maximum efficiency, greatly enhancing his strength and reflexes. The man who had created the serum was killed and the ability to duplicate the process was lost. Thus Captain America was born, and combined with his iconic indestructible shield, he served as both a counter-intelligence agent and a propaganda symbol to counter Nazi Germany's head of terrorist operations, the Red Skull.
I never would've imagined so many years ago while watching Honey I Shrunk the Kids or even Jumanji that the same guy who made those movies would years later bring us a live-action version of Captain America. Looking at this news now, that's not a good thought. Johnston may have been great doing behind-the-scenes work on Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but he's not a great director. October Sky may prove that he can direct character-driven movies, but nothing in his filmography proves that he's capable of taking on such an ambitious and highly anticipated film as Captain America. I hope my fears as wrong and, just like Jon Favreau, we find out that Johnston was the perfect choice in the end.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/09/joe-johnston-directing-marvels-the-first-avenger-captain-america/ (http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/09/joe-johnston-directing-marvels-the-first-avenger-captain-america/)