Part of what has made Marvel’s forays into feature films so exciting is the quality of director it has managed to secure for each movie.
Whether it’s an indie darling like Jon Favreau directing Iron Man, a theatrical powerhouse like Kenneth Branagh helming Thor or a thrilling young up-and-comer like Louis Leterrier taking on The Incredible Hulk, Marvel has always managed to impress. So, with that in mind, who has Marvel signed on to direct Captain America, one of the most iconic characters in its stable?
Joe Johnston. Come on, you know, Joe Johnston. The man who directed Jurassic Park III. And, um, The Rocketeer. Oh, you know him. He wrote one episode of the Star Wars Droids cartoon spin-off in 1895. Joe Johnston, you know. Old Joey Jo-Jo Johnston. This Captain America film is going to freaking rule.
Aspiring superhero movie directors, listen up. We’ve worked something out that we think you should probably know. if you want to get Marvel’s attention, you should think about making a film about a magical board game.
We’re being serious. Why did Marvel pick Jon Favreau to direct Iron Man? Because of his work on Zathura: A Space Adventure. And why has Marvel picked Joe Johnston to direct Captain America? Because of his work on Jumanji. And it’s fairly obvious that Kenneth Branagh was asked to direct Thor because of his bleak directorial masterpiece Gooey Louie: The Motion Picture.
But, look, that’s not the point. The point is that Marvel has signed Joe Johnston to direct its upcoming First Avenger: Captain America movie. Why? Because between Terrence Howard and Edward Norton Marvel has realised that big stars also come with big fees and unmanageably big egos? No, not at all – it’s just that everyone at Marvel thinks that Jurassic Park III is the best Jurassic Park film, even better than the ones that made much more money and got much better reviews. Ahem. Reuters reports:
“Jurassic Park III” director Joe Johnston has signed a deal to bring the Marvel comic-book hero Captain America to the big screen. “First Avenger: Captain America,” a World War II-set movie, is scheduled for release in 2011 through Marvel Studios. No writers are on board, but the studio expects to hire shortly.
Since he’s currently working on a version of The Wolfman that more or less just involves asking Benicio Del Toro to not shave for about 45 minutes and then filming the results, First Avenger: Captain America looks like it could be the biggest movie of Joe Johnston’s career.
After all, it doesn’t have a script yet and Marvel is already hyping Captain America as hard as it can. So, if that continues, there’s a chance that First Avenger: Captain America will be one of the biggest hits of 2011 in North America and the terrorist states that’ll use it to demonstrate America’s beligerant patriotism to its angry young recruits.
That just leaves the question of who’ll play Captain America. A few weeks ago Will Smith expressed an interest, but now that he’s gone off to massacre a film that we love instead, it looks like it’s wide open. It’s obvious that the role needs to be played by someone fiercely all-American, so may we suggest Eddie Izzard from The Riches? Or maybe the guy from House? Or Jimmy McNulty from The Wire. Or one of Flight Of The Conchords. Yes. Any of them please.
The Dread Pirate Sausage! says
“He wrote one episode of the Star Wars Droids cartoon spin-off in 1895.”
OMG J-BOOGIE?!?
roflmosbaao
This movie’s going to bite pitbull vicious, anti-Christian, vampyric ASS.
Cam Siemer says
Thank you for your humorous post about the relatively underwhelming choice of Joe Johnston to direct the Captain America movie. While I am a huge fan of The Rocketeer and can even enjoy Jumanji for its nostalgic value, I cannot help but feel that Johnston is too safe a pick and that Marvel is taking no creative chances when it comes to this crossover agenda they have been pushing as of late. What I have noticed, and what this announcement seems to prove, is that the studio seems to be going with somewhat unremarkable directors compared to the ones they were enlisting just a few years ago. Whatever happened to finding notable auteurs like Bryan Singer (X-Men), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Guillermo del Toro (Blade II), or even Ang Lee (Hulk)? Well, actually I probably just answered my own question. Unfortunately, the rather lukewarm reception of Hulk probably killed off any chance of getting talented visionaries again as far as major Marvel character adaptations go. Though you praise “indie darling” Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and “up-and-comer” Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk), I find it hard to compare them to the quality of the directors that came before. While I thoroughly enjoyed both of their efforts, they have yet to prove to me they have the personal touch and artfulness to set their work as a whole above the rest. Instead, they have shown themselves to be simply competent filmmakers who know how to piece together a solid film. Like artisans, they promise a reliable product, which is why the studio chose them. Assuming I am not alone in this analysis, what do you make of this trend?
I will admit, however, that not all of Marvel’s recent decisions have been unadventurous. The choice to put the brilliant Edgar Wright in charge of Ant-Man is indeed a breath of fresh air, and a Thor movie directed by Kenneth Branagh sounds promising. Heck, the idea of even attempting a live action Thor film is a brave endeavor in and of itself, given its ridiculous premise. At the same time, while these two characters do play a key role in Marvel’s upcoming crossover plans, they are arguably less important than Iron Man and the Hulk, who are probably better known among casual superhero fans, and especially Captain America, the leader of the Avengers team. I am assuming this is why Marvel is playing it safe in terms of these crossovers, because they cannot afford to alienate audiences by experimenting artistically with one character if he is the crux of the eventual crossover film. A poorly received Captain America picture could translate to an Avengers movie that no one wants to see. As a result, they have chosen Joe Johnston, the safest bet to produce an adequate product. That said, The First Avenger: Captain America, like Iron Man and to a lesser extent The Incredible Hulk, can still be a good or even great film even with an artisan like Johnston at the helm, and at the end of the day, that is ultimately what matters. I would personally just like to see the filmmakers behind the camera be as adventurous as the heroes in front of the camera.