Holding Out For A Hero: Johnston to Direct Captain America

Captain America in one of his latest makeovers.  

It seems, I suppose, fitting that the all-American superhero Captain America would get a director with a plain, ordinary all-American name like Joe Johnston (well, that pesky “t” does kind of make him stand out in a way that the usual everyday “Johnson” would not, but perhaps that’s why he went into the arts). And according to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a done deal, with Johnston having signed a deal to direct the film, which is slated for a May 6, 2011 release. No writers are signed yet. Johnston, though, has been in on the planning with Marvel for two years, and the script written by whoever will be based on his ideas.

Captain America, of course, first appeared in 1941, on the eve of World War II, and was supposed to embody a powerful patriotic ideal, who could defeat all enemies with honor and strength. His character faded in the 1950s, but was later revived to be part of the Avengers supergroup. An Avengers movie is also set for 2011. Marvel is producing a series of individual movies for each of its superheroes to be “introductions” on the way to the Avengers.

Johnston is a solid, workmanlike director, with a background in visual effects and action. He’s finishing up the work on The Wolf Man, the remake of the ol’ werewolf tale starring Benicio del Toro. There’s no reason to think he’d really mess this one up, but considering that some of the more successful superhero films of the recent era have come from directors without an action/blockbuster background (Sam Raimi, Christopher Nolan, Jon Favreau, the Kenneth Branagh for Thor rumors), he seems, well, not very exciting. Nothing personal, Mr. Johnston, I’m sure you’ll do a decent enough job, but it would have been kind of fun to hear that, say…let’s just throw a random name out there…okay, Sofia Coppola was directing. Yeah, the crazy choice can sometimes result in a train wreck, but it can also result in genius.

And now that we have a director, the real fun can begin: casting ideas, anyone?