Captain America Nabs $52 Million In First Week DVD/BR Sales, Sequels Are Imminent

Looks like fans of Captain America won't have to worry about the unknown status of the sequels. As The First Avenger just beat out first week DVD/BR sales of both sequel bound X-Men First Class and Thor. Nabbing an impressive $52 million not including iTunes and VOD sales. Putting the total gross of the film over $400 million which it sort of needed to reach for the studio move forward with more films. Of course there has already been talk of the second film being in development stages with the writers but no official release date has been announced. These new numbers cement the strength of the budding franchise and could light a fire under Marvel Studios to set one of those slated 2014 release dates for Captain America 2.

Could Zemo & Strucker Be The Villains In Captain America 2?

It's been long rumored that Captain America villain and leader of the Masters of Evil, Baron Zemo would be featured in Captain America: The First Avenger. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely confirmed to IFC that in early versions of the script Zemo and Baron Strucker indeed were involved. However, it seemed like a waste to use both so early in the franchise. It's likely that the two villains could show up in Captain America 2 or future Marvel films.

There were a few classic villains that were planned for the first film, only to be removed in subsequent drafts. The pair previously revealed that evil despot Baron Zemo was in an early draft, but he wasn't the only sinister side character in those versions of the script.

"Baron Strucker was in there for a while, but he wasn't doing enough to justify wasting him in the film," said McFeely. "We certainly tried things, and ended up settling on the more useful Red Skull and Arnim Zola. But they're all still on the table," he teased. 

"There wasn't a sequence with Master Man that ended up on the cutting room floor or anything," laughed Markus. "But there was an endless array of scenes we could've drawn from, and may draw from in the future. I'm not being cryptic when I say that, either - I'm just being a comic book geek. For example, some day, whether it be in an 'Iron Man' movie or a 'Captain America' movie or any other Marvel movie, I want to see M.O.D.O.K. float down the hall." 

Zemo along with creating The Masters of Evil (a group of villains that fight The Avengers) is also responsible for putting together the original Thunderbolts group. The Thunderbolts were similar to the Dark Avengers as they are villains posing as heroes to gain the world's trust and plan to eventually take it over. Other incarnations of the group included villains released from super prisons to reduce their sentences working for SHIELD on different missions. I wouldn't be shocked to see Zemo become a baddie in Avengers 2.

Strucker on the other hand is heavily involved with both Hydra and A.I.M. which could mean that he might be a modern villain that could resurrect Hydra or bring A.I.M. into the forefront. Considering Modok a known member of A.I.M. has been mentioned a few times by the screenwriters. He seems a good bet for Captain America 2 or the Nick Fury film. Hopefully we'll see Madame Hydra ends up alongside Strucker.

Captain America Screenwriters Talk Sequel & Howling Commandos Spin-Off

 While talking with IFC (via ComicBookMovie) screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely talked about Captain America 2 confirming they've completed an outline for the the sequel. Along with seemingly colaberating with Joss Whedon to figure out where Cap's character should be in Captain America 2. Since a few things that likely were planned for the second film are now being included into The Avengers.

McFeely: "We needed to read Joss' 'Avengers' before we could go on and do 'Captain America 2.' We needed to see if he did anything different, character-wise - and he hadn't, he's an excellent writer - but we also needed to see what he had done in terms of Steve poking around the modern day and dealing with it." 

Markus: "So much of Captain America's adventures occur in the present day, so there are a lot of things I'd like to touch on. That said, we did leave the center section of 'Captain America' baggy enough to let him have adventures you didn't see [in the first film]. So, we kind of have enough room to play with [for the sequel]." 

McFeely: "Still, if he had another adventure entirely set in World War II, the stakes are kind of lessened, because you know he survives and you know what happens to Bucky and you know the Howling Commandos survive long enough to have a toast in a bar." 

Markus: "You know Cap wins and you know that whoever he was fighting didn't destroy the world, because you've already seen things that happen after it. So the stakes are, well... But then again, did that bother anyone with the second 'Indiana Jones' movie?" 

I'm a big fan of the first film so I'm excited to see that they're going forward with the sequel with Joe Johnston still expected at the helm. My only concern is that Joss Whedon had added things to the last film's script to incorporate the Avengers and I assume to add humor as well. Whedon is well known for his whitty oneliners which seemed all over The First Avenger. So hopefully Joss is still going to be apart of the screenwriting side along with Markus and McFeely. There also seems a rich story to be told with Winter Soldier whether it's in a sequel or the Howling Commando spin-off.



The pair also mentioned the potential Howling Commandos spin-off that has been rumored for a while now. Which they're open to making and could end up being very similar to Kelly's Heroes and Inglourious Basterds. The latter isn't surprising as Quentin Tarantino took inspiration for The Basterds from The Howling Commandos comics.


McFeely: "They're certainly cool, and in a different movie, we would've certainly had a little more 'Kelly Heroes' or 'Magnificent Seven". thing going on. (Talking about if they had more screen time) 

Markus: "It would've been like 'Inglourious Commandos." 

McFeely: "Personally, I'm a big fan of that type of movie - the ne'er-do-wells banding together to fight a common cause. So I'm open to it, but... well... I'll just say I'm open to it."

I have to admit that I almost enjoyed the scenes with the Howlers more than the solo Cap scenes. So I'd be on board with a Howling Commandos spin-off. Yet, I'm concerned with the amount of spin-off talk considering the laundry list of other original projects at Marvel that have yet to get off the ground. Their has already been talk of spin-offs for Nick Fury, Black Widow, War Machine, Hawkeye and The Warriors Three. I assume it's just way for Marvel to pump up audiences/fans to root for the supporting characters.

Chris Evans Says Captain America 2 Coming 2014?

Talking to ThePlaylist, Captain America star Chris Evans has mentioned when he thinks the sequel could be released along with contact aspects. He goes on to mention that the studio locked him into six films. So if he shows up in a cameo for a non-Captain America/Avengers film he'd be able to ask for more money if they want him for Cap 3 or Avengers 3. Evans thinks the studio might wait until 2014 to release Captain America 2.

"They may wait until 2014 until they release the next Cap. Marvel has a lot of balls in the air, they aren’t going to cannibalize their films.” And it could be very expensive for Marvel if Cap shows up in a non-Cap movie. “Out of those six films, if I pop up in one of those [other films], it counts as part of the deal. So if they needed me in a third Cap, and I say, ‘Fuck you, give me $30 million,’ well…they want to avoid that."

Previously it was announced Marvel Studios had two films set for 2014 the first one May 16th and the second June 27th. I assumed that the sequel would be one of these dates, it sounds like all but confirmation with Evans' statement. On the other hand Marvel has yet to announce dates for Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Iron Fist and Black Panther. They could wait to test the waters with new characters before rolling out a sequel.

Villains That Should Be In Future Captain America Films

After viewing Captain America: The First Avenger a couple of times I've found it very entertaining. Being one of the best of Marvel Studios' films yet. So when the studio moved forward with a second film I was very interested. There was an announcement that Marvel was developing a script for a Cap sequel but no release date was set but 2014 seems likely. Joe Johnston is expected to return as the director since he signed on to make two films.

Last month screenwriter Christopher Markus (Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America 2) brought up an interesting casting idea for Captain America 2 that could seen recent Emmy winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the role of villain Modok in the sequel. Modok of A.I.M. is one of the only villains mentioned besides the quote from director Joe Johnston stating he'd like to explore the Winter Soldier story. I've come up with a few other villains that should be on screen some known and some lesser known villains.

A.I.M.: Advanced Idea Mechanics is another large terrorist group and is a splinter group of Hydra which was started by Baron Von Strucker. Modok is also an important member of the group along with Monica Rappaccini better known as Scientist Supreme. If the studio decides not to resurrect Hydra, A.I.M. could be a good target for SHIELD and Cap.

ALEXSANDER LURKIN: There are a few villains that could help move the Winter Soldier aspect forward, mainly KGB agent Aleksander Lukin. He inherits the leadership of a KGB group which is in charge of the Winter Soldier project. Lurkin is also involved with Kronas Corporation and Roxxon Oil. There was an Roxxon building shown in the first Iron Man, so the company has been established in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Russian aspect could also lead to the Russian Super Solider Program giving us Red Guardian. Lurkin also has aligned himself with Hydra and The Red Skull.

MADAME HYDRA: Is the second in command of Hydra under Baron Von Strucker along with being the usperper of The Serpent Squad. If they do deceide to bring back Hydra, Strucker and Madame Hydra could be great co-leaders for the present time group. They've been previously introduced in both the cartoon series along with the Cap video game Super Solider.

BARON ZEMO: Zemo is the second most popular Captain America villain after Red Skull and could really show up in either of the time periods. Considering Heinrich (12th Baron Zemo) is seen during WWII and his son Helmunt is the present day Zemo.

GEORGES BATROC: A former French Legionnaire and currently a mercenary who is a master of savate (French Kickboxing) has been upgraded over the years from comic relief to badass. Eventually being able to handle fighting off both Cap and Hawkeye at once. Batroc is also able to hold his own against Black Panther, who is one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in the Marvel universe. I could see him used as a hired gun and could be apart of any villaineous group.

CAST EM': Captain America 2

Anthony Mackie As Falcon

Mads Mikkelsen As Baron Zemo

Andrea Osvárt (Casanova, Duplicity) As Madame Hydra/Viper

Ralph Finnes As Baron Von Strucker

Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) As Union Jack

Captain America Screenwriters Talk Sequel

Now that Captain America is becoming an overall success there is movement on the sequel. Joe Johnston has said he'd like to do Captain America 2 but has yet to sign on officially. The first film's screenwriters Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely talk (via GeekTyrant) about the angles they'd like to see happen.

We certainly want at least a portion of the '40's, I think. The span of [Captain America: The First Avenger] is about two or three years, and there’s a few times in the film where you jump four months ahead, you jump six months ahead. So we did that with the intention of saying, ‘Okay, there are certainly unseen adventures that Captain America went on in that period that if we want to, we can go back and explore later.

It might be doing a disservice not to address the present day Cap, particularly because so much of the comic book run right now is present day Cap – that ‘man out of time’ is the icon. The Captain America that most people know is really from kind of the reboot, when Stan Lee brought him back in '63 and '64, frozen from a block of ice. So his biggest personality trait is that he's this man out of time, and for us, we didn't have the opportunity [to explore that]. This was a guy in the RIGHT time.

Cap's present day love interest Sharon Carter and his partner Falcon have also been named as possible additions for the sequel. It also doesn't seem out of the realm of possibilities that the Winter Soldier storyline could be explored as well.

I want both of them! Sharon is meaty, almost to a point where you get a little uncomfortable because her relation to Peggy has shifted over the years, as time has passed. She's the sister, she's the cousin, she's the niece. You have to walk a fine line there because it does seem like you're dating your girlfriend's daughter. Falcon is awesome. We can't play with time so much to have Cap go back to Harlem in the '70's and clean up the streets, but it would be awesome to go straight up, like, 'Shaft' with Cap and the Falcon.

Captain America TV Spot Reveals New Footage

New Captain America Promo Posters

Alan Silvestri To Score Captain America!

There had been a lot of rumored composers involved with Captain America. FilmMusicReporter says Marvel/Paramount has decided on Alan Silvestri to score the film. Silverstri is best known for scoring Back To The Future 1-3, The Abyss, The Quick & The Dead, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Forest Gump and Predator 1-2. While most superhero films can do without amazing scores this one is a mix of Saving Private Ryan meets Indiana Jones. So you expect something larger than life for a Captain America score.

Marvel Studios Moving Forward With Captain America 2?

We recently heard news on movement on Iron Man 3 with Shane Black meeting with Marvel Studios. Now there is word from LatinoReview that Marvel is already working on Captain America 2. They've hired screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus who worked on First Avenger. It's expected that the sequel would be set during present time and after the events of Avengers.

There are plenty of characters and villains to be explored in future films now that HYDRA will be established in First Avenger. This could be an excellent film to introduce Cap stables like Winter Soldier (Bucky), Union Jack (modern), Baron Zemo, Crossbones, Viper/Madame Hydra and Baron von Strucker. It would also be a great opportunity to bring in Sharon Carter and Falcon into the mix.

I wouldn't be shocked to see the SHIELD/Nicky Fury film end up being combined into the Captain America sequel and to be honest I think it would end up a stronger movie.

Empire Reveals Even More Captain America Images

 In the latest issue of Empire (via ComicBookMovie) the magazine has a slew of new Captain America stills. They show off the incredible tone of the film. It's our first look at Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips, Natalie Dormer (Tudors) as Private Lorraine and Richard Armitage (Hobbit) as Heinz Kruger.

Also we finally see an image of Hayley Atwell ready to go into action with her Thompson. I'm overwhelmed by awesomeness of the recent images that have coming out. I really think this could be the bigger of the two Marvel films coming out this year.

Derek Luke Playing A Howling Commando In Captain America?

BigShinyRobot is claiming they've seen the Captain America poster which features Derek Luke. The actor has never been mentioned as being apart of the cast so it seems like a bit of reveal. CHUD talked to director Kevin Feige who confirmed to them that Gabe Jones would be in the film.

Gabe is a member of The Howling Commandos and would eventually be an important part of SHIELD. Other Howlers such as Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) and Union Jack/Pinkerton (JJ Feild) have been confirmed. It's also possible the role could be Isiah Bradley or even Sam Wilson (Falcon). I guess we'll know for sure if this is true as it's likely the group will be shown in the trailer.

FIRST LOOK: Bucky Barnes

ComicBookMovie has found these new Captain America images scanned from French magazine Première. We get our first glimpse of Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. Also there's another excellent shot of the Hydra soldiers along with a fuzzy image of Red Skull.

I expect high resolution images will be released by Marvel soon. The Marvel promotional machine is being put into full gear as the official poster gets posted online Friday. I have a feeling that the poster is causing buzz because it could channel Star Wars or Indiana Jones with a grand piece of artwork featuring the main cast. The first TV spot will be aired during the Super Bowl along with the full trailer soon after that.

Possible First Look At Red Skull Concept Art

While it seems like a Captain America trailer is around the corner CBM has posted possible concept artwork of Hugo Weaving's Red Skull. It could very well be artwork from the toys as it's similar to the previous Thor and Cap artwork that leaked. On the other hand since it hasn't been confirmed it very well could be fan made.

 The costumes look in line with Cap's and do backup previous claims that Hydra will replace Nazis as the film's villains. Hence no Nazi emblems on the uniforms but still have a very SS look to them. I'm not sure if it's smart on the part of Marvel if they're allowing this sort of concept artwork to be the only stuff that is floating online.

Previously a bunch of concept artwork from the video game Captain America: Super Solider hit online. It teased what Arnim Zola and Viper possibly could look like if two make the film. We know that Tobey Jones is playing Zola and is featured in one of the film's stills. On the other hand it hasn't been confirmed if the doctor would make the transformation to what the artwork shows. Also, Viper has yet to be confirmed for the film but looks fantastic in the artwork.

FIRST LOOK: Captain America's Cosmic Cube

CBM has posted a new image of Hugo Weaving as Red Skull (minus mask) holding the object of interest in Captain America the Cosmic Cube. I assume this is from the scene which was shown at Comic-Con 2010.

Michael Giacchino Could Score Captain America?

With a film that has director Joe Johnston who worked on both Star Wars and Indiana Jones it's expected Captain America's score could be just as iconic. Now there is word online via CBM that Michael Giacchino (Up, Star Trek, Let Me In, MI3) has been sent the script which could mean he's been hired to score the WWII superhero film.

Michael is no stranger to WWII scores as he worked on multiple titles for the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty video game franchises. He recently won an Oscar for his score of Pixar's Up and has been in high demand since. Giacchino is busy these days working on music for John Carter of Mars, Super8 and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol so it's not a sure thing. Hopefully he can do for Cap what was able to do for the Star Trek reboot.

FIRST LOOK: Awesome Stills From Captain America

EW has the first official stills from Joe Johnston's Captain America. All I can say is wow! The project has been compared to Indiana Jones meets Rocketeer and these images back up the claim. We get our first glimpses of Cap, Red Skull, Dr. Zola, Peggy Carter and Hydra Soliders. I love the look of the film let's just hope it ends up working. It's expected we'll see the first trailer this December with Tron Legacy.

First Look: Captain America's Costume, Shield & Bike

TheDailyMail was able to get a few photos from the set of Captain America. We get glimpses of a stunt man wearing the costume and riding the bike which is loaded with weapons. There are even Hyrda vehicles branded with the villainous group's symbol.

Joe Johnston Talks Captain America & Jurassic Park 4

Director Joe Johnston (Rocketeer, Wolf Man) recently talked to BoxOffice about his upcoming film Captain America. He also gave some updates on Jurassic Park 4.

It's not going to be a Captain America that you expect. It's something different. It is influenced by the comic book, but it goes off in a completely different direction. It's the origin story of Captain America. It's mostly period—there are modern, present-day bookends on it—but it's basically the story of how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. The great thing about Captain America is he's a super hero without any super powers. Which is why this story, among the hundreds of super hero stories, appealed to me the most. He can't fly, he can't see through walls, he can't do any of that stuff. He's an every man who's been given this amazing gift of transformation into the perfect specimen—the pinnacle of human perfection. How does that affect him? What does that mean for him emotionally and psychologically? He was this 98-pound weakling, he was this wimp, and he's transformed instantly into this Adonis. You'd think he got everything he wanted. Well, he didn't get everything he wanted. The rules change at that point and his life gets even more complicated and dire. For me, that's the interesting part of the story. It's got some great action sequences in it and some incredible stuff that we've never seen before. But at the heart of it, it's a story about this kid who all he wants to do is fit in. This thing happens and he still doesn't fit in. And he has to prove himself a hero—essentially go AWOL to save a friend...


Well, there is going to be a Jurassic Park IV. And it's going to be unlike anything you've seen. It breaks away from the first three—it's essentially the beginning of the second Jurassic Park trilogy. It's going to be done in a completely different way. That's pretty much all I can tell you.