It had been previously rumored that there were a number of various contenders for the title role in the upcoming Captain America, with the likes of Dane Cook auditioning. Fox411 reported earlier today that that The Office star John Krasinski is all but set to don the mask and shield, but it looks like that is now false and he is completely out of the running. Mike Fleming over at Deadline has exclusive news that Marvel has “expanded its search” that includes Chris Evans, who already has superhero experience as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films. From the original group of actors rumored, Mike Vogel (Cloverfield, She’s Out of My League) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy) are both “serious contenders”. The actor needs to be prepared for the insane commitment which includes 9 future films and a relatively low salary of $300,000.
The Fox source also suggests the first Captain America film will be an origin story, with a full franchise in the works. How this news will go down with fans of the series should prove interesting, and the producers are preparing themselves for a potential backlash.
Captain America comes out July 22, 2011.
Are you happy John Krasinski is out of the running? What about Chris Evans as Captain America?