Captain America, The Movie, and the guy playing him.

[Squall Leonhart]

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/09/08...ptain-america/

When Marvel announced that “Captain America” was making its way to the big-screen, fans everywhere began speculating who would be donning the famous red-white-and-blue tights. Nothing has been heard since, but during an MTV News interview regarding his role in “Miracle at St. Anna,” actor Derek Luke let slip that a very prominent - and surprising - face could be the star of Marvel Studios’ next blockbuster film.

“I heard they offered Will Smith ‘Captain America,’” said Luke, adding that the intriguing casting rumor “just shows you how times have changed.”

While this word through the Hollywood grapevine is nothing more than a rumor at this point, it should be noted that Marvel hasn’t shied away from changing up the race - and gender - of established characters in recent years. Upon kicking off his celebrated take on “The Ultimates” (Marvel’s re-imagining of their classic superteam The Avengers), Mark Millar changed S.H.I.E.L.D. head honcho Nick Fury from a crew-cut, cigar-chomping, middle-aged white man to, well… Sam Jackson.

The decision, though aggressively debated back when the series debuted, seemed to receive some validation earlier this year when Jackson made his post-credits cameo in “Iron Man” as Fury.

Smith himself is no stranger to the four-color world, having recently starred as a down-on-his-luck superhero in “Hancock.” Given the success of that film however, it seems almost a given that a sequel could be in the offing. That makes the prospect of Smith starring in yet another superhero franchise seem unlikely, especially given the subversive tone of “Hancock.”

Along with providing some fresh material for the “Captain America” rumor mill, Luke also mentioned an interest in jumping into the superhero movie scene himself, and offered up a few characters he’d like to bring to the big screen.

“I would love to jump into Green Lantern,” said Luke. “There are a lot of stories I’m into… [like] Black Panther.”

It's nothing but a rumor at this point, if that's any consolation to anyone. Thoughts or comments?

[Harpell]

I never saw Hancock. Seemed like a decent movie from what I heard.

But...Will Smith? Captain America? Not happening. Partly because of the Hancock sequel thing. Partly because it doesn't fit. It's not the race thing either, it's just...Will Smith doesn't seem like he'd be Captain America.

Then again, stranger things have happened.

[BitVyper]

It's partly the race/general appearance thing, and partly that Will Smith doesn't play characters well. If he had one, the other could probably be overlooked, but he has neither. Actually no, it wouldn't work for him period, because I can't see how they would justify the WWII era accepting him as the poster boy for American values, and a living legend. If they handwave it, it's just annoying, and if they address it, it'll almost invariably end up as the dangerous experimental super-soldier treatment having been forced on him as an expendable minority. And giving the military such a negative portrayal in a film about Captain friggin America would just be stupid. I suppose there are other ways it could be pulled off, but I don't see any of them fitting the story or being overly believable.

Basically, you'd either have to ignore it completely, which wouldn't be TOO bad, I guess; or you'd have to give it some focus, which would end up making the movie suck. Either way, isn't it better to just choose someone who looks and can play the part?

just shows you how times have changed.

No, all it shows you is that shock tactics have changed.

Anyway, something tells me that this is 100% bullshit, so I don't really care. I just wanted to say that while there are plenty of characters out there who can have such things as race and gender changed without it being too obtrusive, Captain America is not one of them. At least not the standard version of him. I have no idea what the various alternate universe Caps are like.


Would you cast Ben Affleck as Wong Fei Hung? Johnny Depp as MLK?

[Bells]

C'mon... those guys cant even read the lines right. Dude could be easily talking about Will Smith being offered a ROLE in the C.A. Movie...

there ARE black guys in Captain America's unniverse, right?

[Harpell]

Originally Posted by BitVyper

Johnny Depp as MLK?

BEST MOVIE EVER.

Anyway, yeah, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. Also, I think Bellsouth has a point. Everyone was just leaping all over the idea without any evidence that he was being cast for the lead role.

Now a Japanese Captain America, there's an idea.

[BitVyper]

Originally Posted by Bellsouth Minion

C'mon... those guys cant even read the lines right. Dude could be easily talking about Will Smith being offered a ROLE in the C.A. Movie...

“I heard they offered Will Smith ‘Captain America,'"

I mean, like I said, it's probably total bullshit, but it says "Captain America," not "a role in Captain America."

[Solid Snake]

Casting Will Smith as Captain America is one of the stupidest ideas in the history of stupid.
It's not that an African-American can't be an American symbol. It's more the nature of the character. Captain America is a World War Two soldier and an American symbol of that pre-Civil Rights era who's brought "back to life" and who has a difficult time adapting to the modern era. I mean half the conflict of such a hypothetical plotline should involve Cap'ns difficulty adjusting to changes in society such as the equal rights movement.
Also, I just can't see Smith fighting Nazis in that uniform and keep a straight face. That's more a problem for every actor who'll ever attempt Captain America, though.

[Bells]

Originally Posted by BitVyper

“I heard they offered Will Smith ‘Captain America,'"

I mean, like I said, it's probably total bullshit, but it says "Captain America," not "a role in Captain America."

Also dosent say "will smith to be captain america"... it's quite between the lines there, but all there has to be doen is to take "Captain america" as a project, the movie, not the character.

So, someone pitched Will Smith the script for the movie. Calling him in for a role. It's either that or t's just a flat out lie... because it would be totally stupid to have Will Smith as Captain america. It wont fly with the fans, there is no logical sense, and there are many actors who can portrait C.A. too...

[Mirai Gen]

My god, it's a Red Mage plan taken movie form. I sincerely hope this is a baseless rumor.

[Amake]

Is Will Smith, strictly speaking, black? He looks rather like mixed ethnicity, and that didn't fly very well in the forties if I remember right. Worse than being black, even. How would a "negro-human aberration" become Captain America? Unless Hollywood are planning some further whitewashing of history. . .