Actor Chris Evans who played 'The Human Torch' in 2 Vancouver-lensed "Fantastic Four" films, has reportedly accepted Marvel Studios' offer to play 'Steve Rogers', aka 'Captain America' in director Joe "The Wolfman" Johnston's upcoming feature "The First Avenger: Captain America", written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely ("Chronicles Of Narnia").The deal calls for Evans to star in at least three "Captain America" movies, also to reprise the role in an "Avengers" superhero team-up feature, starring Marvel characters 'Iron Man' (Robert Downey Jr.), 'Thor' (Chris Hemsworth) and the 'Incredible Hulk' (Edward Norton) in one film.
"First Avenger: Captain America" is prepping to start June 2010 in London, UK for a 2011 Paramount release."The costume is a flag," said director Johnston about the look of his "Captain America".
"But the way we're getting around that is we have 'Steve Rogers' forced into the USO circuit. After he's made into this super-soldier, they decide they can't send him into combat and risk him getting killed. He's the only one and they can't make more.
"So they say, 'You're going to be in this USO show' and they give him a flag suit. He can't wait to get out of it.
"It was never in the comics because they didn't really need it. In comics, he puts on the costume and the reader just justifies because of the nature of the medium.
"So he's up on stage doing songs and dances with chorus girls and he can't wait to get out and really fight. When he does go AWOL, he covers up the suit but then, after a few things happen, he realizes that this uniform allows him to lead. By then, he's become a star in the public mind and a symbol. The guys get behind him because he embodies something special.
"He realizes the value of the uniform symbols but he modifies his suit and adds some armor, it will be closer to the Cap costume in some of the comics in more recent years . . . this approach, it's the only way we could justify ever seeing him on a screen in tights, with the funny boots and everything. The government essentially puts him up there as a living comic-book character and he rips it off and then reclaims some of its imagery after he recognizes the value of it. We think it's the best way to keep the costume and explain it at the same time..."'The Red Skull' will be the main villain in the new WW II action adventure, revealing the origins of the Marvel Comics characters.
Created by writer Joe Simon and illustrator Jack "King" Kirby, the Red Skull was first introduced in "Captain America Comics" #1 (1941), for Timely Comics, as an industrialist named 'Johann Schmidt'. Schmidt was born in a village in Germany, where his mother died in childbirth. After trying to murder the child, but stopped by the attending doctor, the grief-stricken father commits suicide and Johann is orphaned, growing up on the streets as a beggar and thief.
Falling in love with a girl who rejects him and he later murders, Schmidt begins his psychotic journey by becoming a bellhop in a hotel housing the 'Führer', who while scolding an incompetent officer, swears he could create a better officer out of any ordinary dolt, including the bellhop.
The bellhop is recruited, with the Führer personally training Schmidt as his right-hand man, giving him a uniform and grotesque red skull mask.
The Skull is then appointed head of all German terrorist activities, external espionage and sabotage.
The Red Skull made such an impact on the Allies that the US government created their own equivalent, initiating the clandestine 'Project Rebirth' project that morphed rejected Army volunteer 'Steve Rogers' into 'Captain America'.
The Skull and Cap engaged in numerous skirmishes throughout the European theatre, culminating in a final battle that left the Skull supposedly dead, buried under the rubble of a bombed-out building, with an experimental gas keeping him in suspended animation. 
Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures' "Captain America: First Avenger" will be produced by Marvel's Kevin Feige.
