Captain America Casting Adds and Subtracts as the Race Goes Down to Three
Posted 03.19.10 by Ryan
The race for the lead role in Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America continues as one contender admits defeat and another name is reportedly added to the list which includes Fantastic Four's Chris Evans, Cloverfield's Mike Vogel, Wilson Bethel (CBS' The Young and the Restless), MacGruber's Ryan Phillippe and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra's Channing Tatum. IGN reports that Bethel has announced on his Facebook page that he is no longer in the running.
O Captain, My Captain... I am not He... Thanks for all of the love & support.
Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly reports that Hedlund is out as well and that Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl) is also up for the role, even though the actor hails from Romania and Captain America director Joe Johnston has said that he didn't want to make the movie "without an American playing the part." Marvel has been in agreement on that, though they may have changed their minds.
According to IESB, Marvel liked Stan's audition, and claims the actor is now part of a three-way race for the role with Stan as the favorite. Tatum and Evans are also in contention, which means Phillippe and Vogel are out. Stan could be just "unknown" enough for the role, and his time on Gossip Girl could be a positive since Gossip Girls actors have been a favorite of comic book movies of late. Gossip's Chace Crawford was once a part of the Captain America hunt, and Blake Lively recently landed the role of Carol Ferris in Green Lantern.
Production on Captain America begins this summer, so expect a decision to be made soon. If anyone is wondering why Marvel is taking such a long time, think of those three actors reportedly up for the role and ask yourself who is not only right for the role, but can command authority amongst actors like Robert Downey Jr.? Our money is on Evans, though appearances in two Fantastic Four movies could ruin his chances.
Who do you think will get the role? Write a comment below!