With filming set to commence at the end of June, it's getting down to the wire on casting for "The First Avenger: Captain America," the Marvel Studios movie that sets the star-spangled superhero up for a future team-up with Iron Man and Thor in "The Avengers."
Without a doubt, the role of Steve Rogers is one of the most coveted parts in the comic book cinema world — but not for much longer. Director Joe Johnston revealed to Sci Fi Wire that a casting announcement is on the way.
"We need to cast it soon," said the director. "We have a very short list, but we're still juggling actors here. I'd say within the next couple of weeks we'll have ourselves a Captain America, I hope."
Johnston and his team are hard at work on pre-production for "Captain America," and even without a locked-and-loaded star for Steve Rogers, the director said that he's enjoying the process of shaping the character.
"I think the interesting thing about this guy is that he's a superhero without any superpowers, basically," said Johnston. "He is the epitome of human perfection. He can't fly fast and throw tanks around and see through walls and things like that, but he's strong and runs fast."
But Rogers wasn't always an ideal human specimen, as Johnston is quick to acknowledge.
"And the interesting thing about this guy is that he starts out as a 98-pound weakling and he becomes this Adonis," he said. "How does that affect his arc in the story? How does that affect where he goes and what happens to him and everything? I think that's the part of the story that was fascinating for me. And, of course, being a Marvel movie, there's fantastic action scenes in it and all kinds of great stuff. But there's an interesting story there as well."
With a "Captain America" casting announcement looming, be sure to let us know your picks in the comments section and on Twitter!