Who does Matt think should play CAPTAIN AMERICA?

Half of the battle with this year's mega successful IRON MAN was won in 2006, way before the film actually started shooting. The casting and the choice of the director, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau were the absolute best men for the job and this May, it showed. The movie earned over $570 million worldwide and should kick off the second wave of the Marvel franchise that should see them earn several billion dollars over the next 5 years. The same can be said for BATMAN BEGINS, the battle was won back in 2003 and the huge results were seen this summer with one of the biggest movies of all time. So for the sake of CAPTAIN AMERICA, for the sake of GREEN LANTERN, for the sake of THOR... that battle is being fought by Marvel and DC/WB right now... all three movies we expect to hit in the next few years but if they get the casting right now, much of the rest will speak for itself. You only need to see this year's THE INCREDIBLE HULK to see what a mis-casting of director and actor can do for a superhero project. Today we will look at the first superhero period film...

THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA

We believe Nick Cassavetes, the director of THE NOTEBOOK and ALPHA DOG is the guy Marvel want to direct this picture after they flirted with offering the project to Jon Favreau but of course he is already busy with prepping IRON MAN 2 and will likely be the director of choice for THE AVENGERS, a movie due out just six weeks after this picture in the Summer of 2010. Cassavetes is a solid dramatic helmer, great visuals, pacing and is estute at character development. He's more of the Gavin Hood ilk, the guy they got to direct X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. Much of the success of THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA (titled so it can tie in with THE AVENGERS movie) will come down to his casting. We believe they will be looking for an actor in their early 30's, a guy who has an "All American Look" who would work in both a 1940's WWII setting as a super soldier but also wouldn't look too much out of place in the modern day world. He needs to carry the sense of nobality and true value. He is SUPERMAN but if he had worked hard from a working class background for the ability and stature of his powers to become a symbol of America. Physically, he should have blonde hair and blue eyes. He MUST have a square jaw, he is the alpha male. He must also be an actor of great stature. As Captain America is likely to be the leader of THE AVENGERS, he needs to carry a leadership quality and be an actor who we would believe Robert Downey Jr. would take orders from. My first choice for the role would have been Daniel Craig. He has all the above qualities and then some and even though he's English, he is a good enough actor to put on a great American accent. Sadly, and yes I know Christian Bale seems to be quite ok doing it with TERMINATOR and BATMAN... it's really hard to see him being both CAPTAIN AMERICA and James Bond... two icons from two different nations. Also, it would be difficult for an actor to be in two demanding franchises which will always be looking at quick turn around sequels. Shame though, because Craig would have been the man. The pain behind those eyes, as if he has witnessed so many deaths and destruction in the second world war, the leadership, you could imagine men would jump into battle besides him, even though they knew it would mean certain death. Matthew McConaughey certainly carries the look and I've said this before, he is the right age and if he could only act and carry a leadership quality, he would have won the role by now. Ryan Gosling... this week rumored for THE GREEN LANTERN could be worth a shout. He also has a history with Cassavetes, after working with him on THE NOTEBOOK. Brad Pitt can certainly carry the "All American Male" but he sucked as the leader of men in TROY and it would be extremely difficult to tie him down to a multi film comic book franchise. A massive stature of a name which would guarantee box office return but I can't see it. Ryan Reynolds who was desperate to play THE FLASH, seems to have settled instead on DEADPOOL over at Marvel. They wouldn't cast him twice. Scotsman Gerard Butler certainly has the stature and chin but there's something about him that would put me off casting him here and I can't quite put my finger on what that is. My choice, after seeing the true value of Harvey Dent in THE DARK KNIGHT and how he was the true hearrt of that epic movie would be Aaron Eckhart. He has the square jaw, the blue eyes, the leadership quality, the stature, the age requirement, the physicality, the look of a All American WW-II solider and the undoubted acting chops! And who cares if he has played Dent, I think it could work. Sure, I've said many a time you shouldn't cast two actors in two different comic book roles (like they did with James Marsden in X-MEN and SUPERMAN) but when a casting choice is this perfect, how could you not? I believe in Aaron Eckhart. I believe in Aaron Eckhart. I believe in Aaron Eckhart. Who do you believe in?