No, he is in talks for the shitty remake of one of Sean's movies that soils its memory. It'll take about ten years before the whole thing pans out, but when it does, boy will people be disappointed. Yes, Raising Arizona was great. Which is why I want to see it remade with Seann William Scott from American Pie and Paris Hilton so that he can know the pain he's inflicted on other films.

Which remake is it?

One that I fabricated.

Jeremy Renner, breakout star of The Hurt Locker, has spoken out again on the rumours that he'll be playing Hawkeye for Marvel.

The net has been a-buzz with news that Jeremy Renner has been cast as Hawkeye in Thor and The Avengers, after he said that he had been in talks with the studio.

He thinks he may have to wait a while before he gets any confirmation though.

He says: "They were just talking, 'Like maybe we should consider maybe hiring Hawkeye now' but there's no director on Avengers so they don't want to force-feed the director".

Renner also hints at a more reality-based take on the character: "It's not going to be the guy with the big purple (mask), it's not going to be a guy in tights".

"It's going to be a guy in sunglasses and a vest".

Renner certainly seems like a good fit for the role, as he can handle the action, and has proven his acting chops in intense roles.

Hawkeye was the one Avenger I was hoping wouldn't be in the movie. :(

It's a crappy powerset and I agree, he's a poor man's Oliver Queen, but Hawkeye is a necessary personality on the team. I'm just hoping there's no Scarlet Witch.

So it's gonna be the villain/traitor he was introduced as perhaps? I don't see this being a bad thing...and he was more or less an assassin IMO that would make him MORE of a marksman than the other arrow guy...

Rene Russo has joined the cast of "Thor," with the actress set to play Frigga, the mother of Marvel Entertainment’s hammer-wielding Norse hero.

Kenneth Branagh is helming the actioner that starts lensing in January and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

Paramount will release the pic on May 20, 2011.

As the wife of Norse god Odin, to be played by Anthony Hopkins in the film, Frigga is the queen of Asgard. She’s also the mother of Thor and Loki, the pic’s primary villain, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston.

Natalie Portman is playing Thor’s love interest.

Mark Protosevich and Zack Stentz penned the script, which has the powerful but arrogant warrior Thor reigniting an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans. Once here, he learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends dark forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

A claim that The First Avenger: Captain America could be filmed in the UK has prompted speculation that Marvel character Union Jack features in the script.

According to Comic Book Movie, an operator of Independent Studio Services posted a message on Twitter which read: "Marvel films is considering filming Captain America in the UK, WTF!"

Marvel president Kevin Fiege has already been quoted as saying that the movie "will be one of the most international films Marvel Studios has done".

In addition to rumours that Union Jack, also known as James Montgomery Falsworth, might therefore appear in the film, there has been renewed speculation linking Tyrese to the role of Isaiah Bradley.

When he launched his comic book hero Mayhem, Tyrese told MTV News: "Instead of me sitting back and waiting on Luke Cage to finally happen - which I'm still looking forward to doing once they get the script together - and instead of me waiting on Captain America, which they were talking about me for, I'm going to create my own."

The First Avenger: Captain America, to which Joe Johnston is attached to direct, is due for release on July 22, 2011.

Cool, so Blacktain America is in this one too?
It would be cool if part of the storyline pertained to Rogers uncovering the "conspiracy" about all that...

When I read that I thought they had actually went ahead and cast Will Smith.

News broke over the weekend that Marvel Studios will begin shooting The First Avenger: Captain America in June 2010.

Captain America will at that time be the fourth Marvel Superhero to make it onto film following the recently formed Marvel Studios joining the fellow Avengers, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Thor.

The news broke during an interview with Fangoria magazine. “The Wolfman” director, Joe Johnston dropped literally the briefest of tidbits during a promo interview for his latest horror flick:

Principal photography was now less than four weeks away. “By the time I got on a plane and arrived, it was three,” recalls Johnston, speaking from the art department of THE FIRST AVENGER:CAPTAIN AMERICA, which he’s readying for a June start.”

Very little else is known at this point about the project although fan speculation has been rife as to who will don the iconic stars and stripes outfit for Captain America’s first big screen outing. Among other names thrown into the pot have been Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Jensen Ackles.

When Kenneth Branagh starts shooting Thor today, he'll be doing it without Stuart Townsend, who has dropped out of the film due to unspecified "creative differences".

You might recall that a similar situation occurred on Lord Of The Rings, when Townsend was either dropped or left the film just before it began shooting (reports differ) and handed Viggo Mortensen the role of a lifetime.

This time, however, it's not such a big part of the movie, and the actor he's been replaced with is largely a newcomer.

Joshua Dallas, who appeared in The Descent Part 2 and is part of the cast for World War Two pilot drama Red Tails, has stepped into the role of Fandral, one of the Warriors Three team of Asgardian warriors (Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano play the other two) who fight alongside Chris Hemsworth's hero.

A scooper for Ain't it Cool News claims that Townsend was "fired from Thor due to showing up 6 hours late for a screen test."

When the dust settles on Marvel's movie universe, who will be the ultimate winner?

Clark Gregg.

The quiet Agent Coulson was just an afterthought to many Iron Man moviegoers (and a big wink-wink to Marvel fans), but now he's becoming the key to the entire universe.

Variety reports that he's set to follow-up his Iron Man 2 appearance with one in Thor. Naturally, it's all leading to The Avengers, which Thor inadvertently helped assemble thanks to being unable to handle Loki all by his lonesome.

Those whose glory has never been denied can have fun speculating on how Agent Coulson and SHIELD get wind of a blond thunder god hanging around the mortal plane.

Will he pop up continuously through the movie trying to get Thor to set a meeting, or demand to know why he hasn't responded to his phone calls?
Or will he just show up at the end, and hand him his card?

All we know for sure is that Gregg has landed one of the sweetest gigs in franchise history because he just has to show up.

Rumors are also rampant that Tony Stark might make an appearance in Thor. The sharp-eyed couldn't help but notice that Robert Downey Jr. was sporting the Tony Stark goatee at the Golden Globes.

Did he just want to remind everyone what was coming in May 2010?
Is it for re-shoots?
A Thor cameo?
Or both?

No one knows, but this is the trivia that we have to fill the winter and spring months with.

Speaking with SFX Magazine [via WorldOfSuperheroes.com], Kevin Feige, President of Production for Marvel Studios, confirmed that the Hulk will be in their epic superhero crossover film, The Avengers. Says Feige:

The Hulk’s involvement was in doubt because both Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003) and Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk (2008) flopped at the box office. Additionally, Edward Norton has appeared ambivalent about returning to play the character in an Avengers movie. Now that we know we’re getting the Hulk, the question becomes who will play him and will the character smash or not (my guess: smash). Feige doesn’t exactly make a promise here, but if he’s being honest they certainly seem to want Norton on the job. Here’s his answer when asked if the actor will return:

Of the three individual Marvel superheroes going to Avengers, Kenneth Branagh has the most difficult job as he has to bring a Norse god down to our world without making it look silly. But Feige says they got it covered:

A final note about Wasp and Ant Man: I don’t think Feige is saying they won’t be in the film, just that we won’t be seeing them in other pictures before. So, by extension, can we expect World’s End or Baby Driver from Edgar Wright next? And will he ever even get to make his Ant Man movie? Let’s see.

Thor is slated to hit theaters on May 6, 2011.

The Avengers is set for May 4, 2012.

Now that the long, hard slog of work on the troubled Wolfman remake is finally clawing to a close, Joe Johnston is turning his attention full time to working on Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America. And he's finally able to say a bit more about it.

"We're in prep," Johnston tells Film Journal (via the folks at Coming Soon).

"Rick Heinrichs is production-designing and we're set up down in Manhattan Beach, California."

Looks like Kenneth Branagh's Thor is getting a studio stablemate.

Johnston seems to be enjoying this part of his job, and you can hardly blame him after the hell of Wolfman.

"It's the part of the process that I love the most. We have eight or 10 really talented artists, and we all just sit around all day and draw pictures and say, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could do this?' It's that phase of the production where money doesn't matter: ‘Let's put all the greatest stuff up on the wall and then later see what we can afford.'"

And it looks like they'll be budgeting for some period work. "The film begins in 1942, 1943, during World War Two. The stuff in the ’60s and ’70s comic books we're sort of avoiding. We're going back to the ’40s, and then forward to what they're doing with Captain America now."

Would it work? Cap fans...?

Joe Johnston has been bigging up his next movie during publicity duties for The Wolfman. Everybody knows he’s directing Marvel’s latest screen superhero flick, Captain America, but who will be cast as America’s greatest hero?

Well, Johnston gave Sci-fi Wire, this to chew over:

“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.”

So who is on this “very short list?”

Nobody knows!

It’ll probably be some vapid t.v. teeny bopper they cast though, since this certain superhero is not going to be embraced worldwide.

As reported last week, the film begins during WW2 with Cpt. America kicking Nazi arse then moves to the present day.

Interestingly, the film is slated for a June start date…in England. Obviously, Captain America is not so keen on rescuing the American economy right now. So wait and see is the word on this. Johnston is a solid journeyman director who will deliver on nothing special, but nothing terrible either. Probably what the studio want for this title.

Calm, deep breath - but Jon Favreau might have just dropped the biggest hint about The Avengers movie yet.

In a recent tweeting session, Favreau was asked if Iron Man 2 takes place before or after the Incredible Hulk - to which he sharply replied 'before'.

Now we know what your thinking, what's the big deal with that?

Hardly matters right?

Wrong!

Cast your mind back to the end of The Incredible Hulk movie, which ended with Tony Stark recruiting General Ross for his "team" - and everything becomes a lot more clear.

Favreau's tweet is not just some throwaway comment but points towards something much bigger, and the only logical conclusion is The Avengers.

The permutations suggest's that Iron Man 2 will possibly feature members of the Avengers putting the "team" together.

Couple that with the fact we've already seen Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury in the official Iron Man 2 trailer and you've got excitement levels at death con three!

But is this all getting a bit complicated?

Will we really see all those superheroes, played by the same actors (Captain America hasn’t even been made yet!), in a big Marvel movie?

It would take a gargantuan effort to pull that one off. Plus, Edward Norton threw his toys out of the pram during the post-production on Louis Leterrier’s film and refused to do publicity and didn’t much like the film.

Well, characters have been crossing over into each others movies, so it better be for something other than a nice “reference” to the Marvel universe.

So will a big, bad Marvel smackdown be on its way in the near future?

Is there a grand scheme?

We want answers, godammit!

Chris Pine - AKA Captain Kirk in Star Trek - is the latest actor to be linked with the role of Captain America.

A scooper for CinemaSpy reports: "Paramount and Marvel are pretty close to closing a deal on casting Steve Rogers/Captain America and fans might be excited to learn that the short list includes somebody a lot of fans speculated about, Chris Pine. From what I'm hearing, he's the frontrunner right now, though that could change."

The news is uncorroborated, so should be treated as speculation for the moment. If Pine does sign on for the part, he'll have to juggle the role with playing Kirk in future Star Trek movies and Jack Ryan in Paramount's reboot of the Tom Clancy series.

According to The First Avenger: Captain America director Joe Johnston however, a casting announcement is due in the next couple of weeks as filming is set to begin this June, so we'll know soon enough if the news is true.

The synopsis for The First Avenger: Captain America might have been released thanks to a casting announcement on featurecasting.com.

Also, thanks to the same release, it’s looking like filming is set to begin on June 28, 2010.

With a release date of July 22, 2011, and the fact that director Joe Johnston recently saying he’s busy in pre-production, the filming date sounds pretty accurate.

If you’re interested in reading the synopsis, here’s what was posted:

If you’ve read the comics, this sounds dead on. The thing to realize is…this isn’t going to be the final synopsis for the film, but one they can send out to casting agencies without giving away the movie. Notice no mention of who Captain America fights or what happens after he becomes a super soldier. But for now…it’s something.

With Joe Johnston elaborating that he was hoping to have casting done by March 1, expect the person who will play Captain America to be revealed any day now. John Krasinski, Scott Porter, Garrett Hedlund, Jensen Ackles, Chace Crawford, Michael Cassidy, and Mike Vogel are all on the list as potential leads.

More as we get it.


Also, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada teased fans via his Twitter account that a screenplay for the The Avengers has, indeed, been written:

Marvel Entertainment often uses its staff to comment and aide the process of adapting a comic book property into a movie. What draft of the script, written by The Incredible Hulk screenwriter Zak Penn, though it would conceivably be early considering that Penn was writing the outline of the movie last summer and both Thor and First Avenger: Captain America — two movies with an obviously huge impact on The Avengers — are far from completion.

Still, fans that will have to wait until 2012 to see the finished product have to be salivating over Quesada's tease.

While Marvel Studios still has yet to announce their final choice for Captain America, they have revealed their choice to play the film’s villain. HeatVision reports that Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings) is in final talks to play the villainous Red Skull in The First Avenger: Captain America.

In the comic books, Red Skull is Johann Shmidt, appointed by Adolf Hitler as the “head of Nazi terrorist activities with an additional large role in external espionage and sabotage.”

According to Marvel.com:

Weaving’s reportedly just about to sign the contract, while negotiations are at a critical stage.

His involvement definitely gives fans hope that the folks at Marvel will make the right choice when it comes to casting America. Weaving is a perfect fit for the Red Skull, boasting both the physical wiles and mental agility required to play such a conniving, malicious villain.

Expect news of America’s casting soon also.

Perfect, perfect casting. Very happy about this one - can't wait to see who they get for Cap. Nobody on their shortlist really seems perfect for the part, but there are some interesting possibilities for sure.

One of the biggest questions in regards to Marvel's upcoming slate of Avengers-related movies — next to who will play Captain America — is whether Edward Norton will appear again as the Hulk in either a sequel, a cameo in other Marvel movies, or The Avengers movie opening in 2012.

This weekend at the SXSW Film Festival, Norton spoke to every media source on the topic, telling Cinematical that The Incredible Hulk 2 probably wasn't likely to happen.

When asked about Hulk 2 by MTV, Norton sounded slightly more positive about a sequel.

Norton also said he doubted a cameo from him would "uplift" Captain America or Thor. As for an appearance in The Avengers, Norton said he was open to a return last year, and in another recent interview with MTV, mentioned that he'd like Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier to direct the movie as long as he is granted more freedom.

Leterrier has mentioned on several occasions that he would be interested in the Avengers gig if it was offered to him.

I like Leterrier and thought Incredible Hulk was great.

It's official: Chris Evans is Captain America.

Reports surfaced on Friday that the actor -- best known to fanboys as the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies -- had been offered the job by Marvel. And now the Heat Vision blog has confirmed that the actor has accepted the role of Steve Rogers, the 90-pound weakling who through a government experiment is turned into the pinnacle of human perfection -- the star-spangled Avenger known as Captain America.

"Sources tell us the actor has not only accepted Marvel's offer," says the site, "but that the dealmaking moved so fast it's now all about dotting the i's and crossing the t's."

The news follows what turned out to be a long and laborious casting search for the role, a pivotal one in the Marvel universe. Cap is not only one of the marquee heroes of Marvel, but he's also typically portrayed as the leader of the Avengers. The casting for his live-action incarnation was no doubt complicated by various factors, namely that the actor who plays him will have to go from a zero to hero in his origin tale and then also be able to convey the gravitas of a leader of men on the battlefield -- and of superheroes in the eventual Avengers movie. And he'll have to have the acting chops to stand alongside the likes of Robert Downey, Jr. on-screen.

Marvel thinks Evans can pull all this off... and more. The actor beat out many familiar and not-so-familiar names to win the role, including John Krasinski (The Office), Sebastian Stan (Kings), Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), Ryan Phillippe (Crash), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Wilson Bethel (Generation Kill), Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Michael Cassidy (Privileged), Patrick Flueger (Brothers) and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural).

It's strange to see Evans cast as a different character in another Marvel property, but the FF movies were pretty lame anyway. My only reservation is that Evans frequently gets cast as the wisecracker, which is completely out of character for CA, but he's a competent enough actor he should be able to pull off Steve Rogers.

My first choice personally would have been Tatum.

Really?

He vaguely looks the part, but he's easily one of the worst big-name actors working today. I'd prefer Will Smith as Cap over that douche.

Anyway, I'm pretty content with Chris Evans. Wouldn't have thought of him myself, but I think he can see him pulling it off. Was pretty intrigued to see what Krasinski would have done with the role so he was my top pick, but realistically they probably made the better choice.

A couple weeks ago, Sebastian Stan was on the rumored list of actors in whom Marvel was interested for the role of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. That role went to Chris Evans, but Stan must have made some impression on Marvel. (Or he’s got a great agent.)

The actor has been cast as Bucky, who is essentially this story’s version of Robin. Stan is best known for Gossip Girl and he just completed the Darren Aronofsky-directed Black Swan and the Todd Lincoln-directed The Apparition. He also was just seen playing the nemesis in Hot Tub Time Machine.

Deadline reports that Stan is about to sign to play the character, described as “the sidekick who fights side by side with the shield-throwing superhero.”

As with young sidekick characters, who are so easy to kill off, more than one Bucky has graced comic pages over the years. The original, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, was an orphan from Indiana whose father was killed in training just prior to WWII. He became the camp mascot, and befriended Steve Rogers. He eventually caught Rogers changing into his Captain America uniform and was trained as Cap’s partner.

This version of the character will obviously be different, and significantly older. Devin at CHUD posted a recap of one storyline not long ago that might point to what we’ll see Stan play in the film:

THR confirms the casting, and says that Marvel will only say that, yes, Stan is playing the character. There’s no word on whether we’ll see Bucky’s “death” and rebirth in the final film, but since Stan has apparently signed a multi-film, Marvel-standard contract, don’t count on him staying dead even if he does meet a lethal fate.

Marvel is also close to setting the female lead role of Peggy, and recently tested Keira Knightley, Alice Eve and Emily Blunt for that role.

Ive only seen this Stan guy in The Covenant which was pretty awful. He looks like he could pull off some kind of Bucky interpretation though so I guess well see.

Over decades of Marvel Comics history, Captain America has been the leader of Earth’s mightiest heroes, The Avengers – but on the big screen, “The First Avenger: Captain America” leading man, Chris Evans, says he’s not sure if Cap will run the squad.

“I don’t know if they’re going to make him the boss,” Chris told MTV News at WonderCon over the weekend.

He added that the presence in the 2012-slated “Avengers” film of Robert Downey Jr., who plays Iron Man/Tony Stark, would make even Captain America intimidated.

“I don’t think anybody tells Downey what to do, and that’s what makes [him] Downey,” Chris said.

With “Iron Man 2” due this summer and further set-up films “Thor” and “Captain America” on their way in 2011, several of the pieces of hero team-up film “The Avengers” are beginning to come together – including a possible director.

The Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog reported that Marvel Studios “insiders” confirmed that Joss Whedon is on a “short-list” for the director’s chair of the summer 2012 tent-pole, after online reports broke last week.

However, a Marvel source told Access Hollywood that the “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Dollhouse” creator is on a short-list for “Runaways” – a youth-oriented, lesser-known Marvel property that’s also in feature film development, and happens to be a series for which Whedon himself wrote for a time.

The source did not comment on “The Avengers” reports.

When reached by Access, Marvel reps would not comment on the writer-director’s possible connection to either film.

Whedon would be perfect for Runaways but not Avengers. I want Favreau.

(via IGN)

April 23, 2010 - We knew that Nick Fury was going to be in the Captain America movie. Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who plays him in the Marvel movies, acknowledged that this week.

But now we have on-the-record confirmation of some rumblings of awhile back: that Fury's World War II teammates will also appear in the movie.

CHUD spoke to Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige today who confirmed that Sgt. Fury's elite squad, the Howling Commandos, will be in Captain America.

"The characters will be there as part of the larger Marvel Universe," Feige informed the site, although the characters may not necessarily be referred to as "The Howling Commandos" in the film. Feige specifically named one Howling Commando, Gabe Jones, who is set to appear.

"Feige also said there was an international component [to the film]," according to CHUD. The site wasn't sure if this meant that The Invaders were indeed going to appear in the film -- or that they will actually be called that if they do show up in it.

It's entirely possible that Marvel could mix and match members of both the Invaders and the Howling Commandos and have them fight alongside Cap in the movie. Another big question is whether we'll see Jackson's Nick Fury in the World War II sequences, or if he'll only appear in the modern day segments.

Lo and behold!

Chris Hemsworth as...

Toby Jones, last seen in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and Frost/Nixon, has signed on to play another of Captain America’s villains: mad scientist Arnim Zola.

Zola is an expert biochemist and genetic tinkerer who works for the Nazis creating clones and monstrous creatures. He also perfects a method of transferring brain patterns between bodies, most notably using it to put his own mind into a robot, thereby surviving World War Two and living into modern times.

The crazed genius happens to be one of the biggest thorns in the side of the Avengers, so chances are we could see him in more than one movie.

But with Hugo Weaving already playing the film’s Big Bad, Red Skull, does this mean that yet another Marvel character will suffer from Too Many Villains Syndrome? Only time will tell.

saw iron man 2 today - thor's hammer is pretty cool at the end. there is also a cameo of cap's shield (although it is in pieces so maybe a prototype?)

picture of thor and seeing the hammer almost makes me think they can pull off Thor. personally my biggest fanboy dream is to see hulk hit iron man (i like downey but he is so smug as iron man i really just want to see the big green guy wipe the smirk off his face - at least once) starting to look forward to avengers!!!

As revealed to an even wider audience in the two Iron Man movies, Tony Stark’s dad, Howard, had a crucial role to play in helping to found the S.H.I.E.L.D team back around the time of World War Two.

So it should be no surprise to learn that he’ll crop up in Captain America: The First Avenger in a younger incarnation than the one who helped his son out via the magic of convenient film reel.

Which brings us to the matter of who’d play him, since John Slattery, who got the role for Iron Man 2, is a little bit old to be playing Howard at 30 or younger.

So we’re intrigued – if cautious – to learn that Mamma Mia/An Education’s Dominic Cooper might just be slipping into Stark’s sharp suit.

We add the cautionary part because Salon’s interview with the man at Cannes drops only the tiniest reference to him cropping up in Captain America and at no time during the filmed version of the chat does he actually say he’s got the role. Plus, Marvel has been steadily making announcements about casting on the movie, so you think the company would have shouted about finding a Howard.

So consider this still floating in the ghostly chasm between rumour and reality for now.

If he has joined – and he’s certainly a great choice with an air of the Downey Jrs about him – he’ll be working with a cast that already includes Chris Evans as the titular hero, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell and Toby Jones.

Joe Johnston starts shooting the thing next month in the UK.

Saw that earlier on Superhero Hype. They seem far more sure about things than your source though:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/ar...aptain-america

Tommy Lee Jones is the latest addition to the Captain America rumor mill:

http://www.filmshaft.com/tommy-lee-j...ptain-america/

No real info, but I think he'd add something to the cast for sure. Fingers crossed this pans out.

How will Captain America of the movie look?

Have a peek - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/45326


Also, if you haven't seen Thor yet, here he is -

http://www.collider.com/2010/06/02/t...s-concept-art/

The Marvel universe is a very crowded and busy place.

There are hundreds of characters just hanging around, hoping for their big chance at the silver screen. Most of them aren't fleshed out enough to ever nab their own franchise, but they could be strong supporting characters like SHIELD's trusty Agent Coulson.

Marvel is doing their best to work in as many of those guys as possible, and Captain America: The First Avenger is proving to be fertile ground.

The Invaders and the Howling Commandos are both tipped to appear, and we finally have our first Commando in Neal McDonough. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, he's in talks to play Dum Dum Dugan.

Dugan is probably the most colorful of the Commandos. Before acquiring his dubious nickname, he was Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader, a Boston native who worked as a circus strongman before joining the British Army. He was invited to become second-in-command of the Howling Commandos after helping Nick Fury and Happy Sam Sawyer out of a Nazi-filled jam. Dugan lacks superpowers, but he's very strong, and quite good with a rifle. He also wears a bowler hat. Perhaps if he throws it hard enough, he can kill people with it. It's a perfect role for McDonough, though fans already seem miffed he's not a redhead.

Captain America won't just have Dum Dum for back-up. Last week, Hayley Atwell confirmed to Leicester Square TV that Tommy Lee Jones has indeed joined the cast. His role is still unknown, but fans are betting he's playing the leader and recruiter of the Commandos, the gruff and gray Sam Sawyer.



Also, Jeremy Renner has been talking to Marvel about playing Clint Barton for some time, and now the actor is in “final negotiations” to join The Avengers as Hawkeye.

Renner’s star rose considerably over the last year after his Oscar-nominated turn in The Hurt Locker, which opened up such opportunities as Peter Berg’s adaptation of Battleship and Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled opus on religion. Renner seems to have passed on Battleship, and the Anderson film could take awhile to come together, so the actor remains a free agent ready to don Hawkeye’s purple bow.

The ensemble cast required for The Avengers, which Joss Whedon (Firefly) will direct, is approaching completion. There’s Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (of course), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johanssen as Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

(Of course, the big missing piece is Hulk — no deal has been made with Edward Norton to reprise his role from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.)

Heat Vision reports that, to keep the budget under control, Marvel has talked all the featured players into a paycut.

This is all shaping up pretty fantastically. Renner is a great get, and if there is any legitimacy to the Josh Holloway rumor (as Ant-Man, perhaps?), fans would apparently be at a loss for words.

For those unfamiliar with the character, here’s a short bio: