At the time, that screenplay didn’t spend near as much time in the 1940s, as Self said in a statement the story would focus on Captain America coming to terms with who America is today: And while the end result works wonderfully, getting there was sometimes a tricky path.Ĭaptain America was one of the first films announced when Marvel Studios forged ahead with its plan to make its own superhero movies, and at that time David Self ( Road to Perdition) was hired to pen the screenplay. Not only that, but the 1940s-set Captain America would serve as the audience’s lead-in to the experimental The Avengers, and thus needed to tee up major plot points while also introducing a major new superhero.
Captain america: the first avenger cast movie#
On top of that, his chemistry and friendship with Downey just made their work as Avengers co-leaders on the big screen so much easier.While Marvel Studios clearly had ideas about heading towards The Avengers when they set about making their own films starting with Iron Man, it wasn’t until their fifth film- Captain America: The First Avenger-that they were making a movie while The Avengers was rocking and rolling and getting geared up to start production. Captain America was an important part of what made the franchise successful, and it's largely in part to the way Evans portrayed the iconic character. Evans has been very open about how much he enjoyed his time in the MCU despite being reluctant at first. Ultimately, one can't fault the actor for turning down the role of Steve Rogers considering his less than ideal experience playing Johnny Storm in Fox's Fantastic Four films in the mid-2000s.įortunately, things worked out for the best. Aside from the personal calls from Silver and Downey, Evans' mom also motivated her son to take on Captain America, citing how persistent Marvel Studios was in recruiting him. While they were closing in on choosing Stan, they also saw other actors for the role, such as John Krasinski, Daredevil season 3 actor Wilson Bethel, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Wyatt Russell. It's no secret that Marvel Studios had to court Evans multiple times before he signed on for Captain America: The First Avenger.
But that did not turn out to be the case. My concern was the fact that this will be a life-changing experience and the following commitment would be more than I could handle. But six movies can last a really long time. Initially, the offer was nine pictures, then it went to six. "It’s a big commitment to do these Marvel movies. According to Evans, the multi-film deal scared him, but he eventually got over it after some convincing. Downey was the final push that convinced Evans to audition for Captain America. Downey had reached out to Evans regarding the part, too, and the ruse ultimately worked. Apparently, Silver had already called the actor at that point. However, producer Joel Silver was adamant that Evans was right for the job and was quite vocal about that. Related: Marvel's Phase 1 Plan Shows How Much Of A Gamble The MCU WasĪs revealed in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via CBR), producers Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard were ready to cast Sebastian Stan as Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger. Apparently, he was also instrumental in bringing in the person who is arguably his best on-screen partner in the Marvel franchise. Once the film was released, it was immediately clear that he was meant to play the superhero. After the huge success of the first Iron Man film, Downey became a major player in the MCU, and his part went beyond his role on the big screen. Fortunately, Iron Man director Jon Favreau relentlessly campaigned for him to be cast as Tony Stark. Understandably, studio executives were skeptical about hiring him to kick off Marvel Studios and its planned franchise. Much has been said about Downey's casting as Iron Man in the MCU.
and Evans both ended their respective franchise arcs at the same time in Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame in 2019, which also marked the end of Marvel's Infinity Saga.
The two actors had been great co-stars since they first shared the screen in 2012's The Avengers. Downey Jr. played a part in Chris Evans' casting as Captain America in the MCU.