First Image of Chris Evans in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” As Sequel Begins Production

April 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 1 Comment

wintersoldier001 One of our most anticipated sequels kicks off production today and to mark the occasion (and perhaps to lower the price tag for the first unofficial paparazzi photos from the set), the first official image of Chris Evans reprising his role as Steve Rogers in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has been released via EW.

Nothing too exciting to see in the first photo, just reinforcing Rogers’ relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. but the film’s official tagline was also released, which proves a bit more interesting: “Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C.” That would make Scarlett Johansson front and center in this sequel, while that shadowy enemy, as comic fans are well aware, is taking the form of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Steve’s wartime buddy who’s been resurrected as the titular villain Winter Soldier.

Emily VanCamp is also on board and her long-rumored role as Agent 13, aka Sharon Carter, is finally officially confirmed, while Hayley Atwell, as the first Carter Steve loved, will make an appearance via flashback. Samuel L. Jackson is expected to have a large supporting role as Nick Fury, and Robert Redford recently signed on to play the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, under the direction of Joe and Anthony Russo, will be released on April 4, 2014. The first photo of Evans can be seen below.

“Revenge” star Emily VanCamp lands female lead in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opposite Chris Evans

February 1, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

It’s been a long-fought battle but it looks like a victor is finally emerging in the quest to become Chris Evans’ newest leading lady in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Deadline reports the role is going to Emily VanCamp, best known for her current starring role on ABC series “Revenge.”

VanCamp came as a surprise to those of us who have been following this casting process, as her name had never appeared on any of the previous shortlists, and she has landed the role over a plethora of some of the hottest rising film actresses right now, including Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones, Imogen Poots, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Teresa Palmer. The character still has not been officially confirmed but is largely expected to be Sharon Carter, relative of Steve Rogers’ first love in “Captain America: The First Avenger”, Peggy (played by Hayley Atwell). Filming on the sequel under the direction of Joe and Anthony Russo will begin on April 1st. Evans, Scarlet Johansson and Sebastian Stan are returning to reprise their roles, while Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.

VanCamp is a TV actress through and through, earning recognition on TV series from “Everwood” to “Brothers and Sisters” to her current gig on “Revenge”, which is now in its second season. With the boost this role will surely add to her profile though, she may find herself a little bit busier during hiatuses in the future.

Anthony Mackie joins Bill Condon’s Wikileaks movie, now titled “The Fifth Estate”; first image released

January 22, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting, Images 2 Comments

UPDATED: The first official image from the film has been added.

Well this movie just keeps getting better and better. In a press release today announcing the start of principal photography on “The Fifth Estate”, the previously untitled Wikileaks movie directed by Bill Condon, it’s revealed that Anthony Mackie has joined the cast that already boasts Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl and Alicia Vikander.

Cumberbatch will play Julian Assange and Bruhl his one-time right hand man, Daniel Domscheit-Berg. The Dreamworks film is taking its source material from Domscheit-Berg’s “Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website” and “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy” by David Leigh and Luke Harding, British journalists who worked at The Guardian and helped Assanage publish his first findings. Vikander will play a co-worker and eventual love interest to Bruhl’s charcter, while “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens will play a hacker friend of Domscheit-Berg’s who eventually comes to work with the Wikileaks team. There’s no word on who other cast members including Mackie, Laura Linney, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, and Carice van Houten will play. “The Fifth Estate” has also just been set for a November 15, 2013 release.

Mackie will film this first before heading to Cleveland in April to play the Falcon opposite Chris Evans, who reprises his role as Steve Rogers in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The two also recently wrapped up filming on “A Many Splintered Thing” together. Mackie is currently on screen in “Gangster Squad” opposite Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and will next be seen opposite Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain.”

Meanwhile, the first official image featuring Cumberbatch and Bruhl has been released and can be viewed below.

Frank Grillo to play villain Crossbones in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

We still don’t know for sure who will be playing Sharon Carter in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, but the latest Marvel flick does have another villain now locked down. After a week of rumor and speculation, Variety confirms “End of Watch” actor Frank Grillo has closed his deal to play Brock Rumlow, who would ultimately adopt the villainous moniker Crossbones, opposite Chris Evans returning as supersoldier/Avenger Steve Rogers.

Grillo teased fans last week when he tweeted about meeting with Marvel and hoping a deal could be worked out, along with the hashtags #CaptainAmerica and #bones. Well, work out it did, and Grillo becomes the latest to join the cast that already includes Sebastian Stan returning as Bucky Barnes, who becomes the titular Winter Soldier, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, as well as fellow newbie Anthony Mackie, who takes on the role of the Falcon. And of course, whoever lands the role of Sharon Carter, be it Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jessica Brown Findlay or any of the other dozen names mentioned in relation to that particular casting. Anthony and Joseph Russo will direct “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” next March, with a release already set for April 4, 2014.

Grillo has been acting steadily on TV and in movies for years, but is undeniably having a bit of a moment on the big screen right now, thanks to a string of impressive supporting turns, first opposite Joel Edgerton in “Warrior”, then Liam Neeson in “The Grey” and most recently opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena in “End of Watch.” He’ll surely impress further when he reteams with Edgerton in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” and with Mackie in “Gangster Squad.”

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is the secret front-runner for “Captain America 2″ according to latest Marvel rumor

October 12, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 3 Comments

The search for the female lead of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is becoming one of those long-winded musical chair sessions. First it was Imogen Poots vs. Felicity Jones vs. Anna Kendrick, then it was Poots up against a few other names, including Alison Brie, Emilia Clarke, Teresa Palmer and Jessica Brown-Findlay. Now, the latest rumor suggests it may not be any of the above. Latino Review reports that Marvel actually “has the most traction” with a name that has not been on either list: Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

The young lady chosen will likely be playing Sharon Carter, or S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 13 in the film opposite Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers. Depending on the mythology, which varies even in the comics, Sharon is the niece or granddaughter or some other relative of Peggy Carter, Rogers’ love interest in “Captain America: The First Avenger” as played by Hayley Atwell. Latino Review further details that actresses auditioning for the role should be in their 20s and read their lines with “an accent.”

“Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke joins Demian Bichir and Jude Law in “Dom Hemingway”

October 4, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Demian Bichir, Emilia Clarke, Jumyan Hunter and Madalina Ghenea are rounding out the supporting cast of indie black comedy “Dom Hemingway”, according to Deadline. Jude Law and Richard E. Grant joined the project back in May.

Law plays the titular Dom Hemingway, described as “a larger-than-life safecracker with a loose fuse who is also funny, profane and dangerous.” After spending 12 years in prison, he’s back on the streets of London and seeking retribution for keeping his mouth shut. Filming under the direction of Richard Shepard begins in the South of France on October 15th.

With only a TV movie and a one-episode guest spot on a British TV series to her credit as of 2010, Clarke won the opportunity of a lifetime when she replaced fellow Brit actress Tamzin Merchant after the pilot for “Game of Thrones” had already been filmed. In her time off from the show, which is heading into its third season next year, she completed work on indie British rock music comedy “Spike Island.” She’s currently vying for the female lead in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opposite Chris Evans.

Imogen Poots, Alison Brie, Emilia Clarke and more vying for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

October 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 3 Comments

Imogen Poots, Teresa Palmer, “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke, “Downton Abbey” star Jessica Brown Findlay and “Community” star Alison Brie are vying for “a significant new role” in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, according to Deadline. This new report also appears to take the previously-rumored Anna Kendrick and Felicity Jones out of the running.

Chris Evans is reprising his role as the super soldier turned leader of “The Avengers” for the sequel that will take in modern times, with Sebastian Stan set to reprise his role as Bucky Barnes, who becomes the titular Winter Soldier and Scarlett Johansson returning to play the Black Widow, who shares significant history with Bucky in the comics. Anthony Mackie signed on recently to play Falcon, Cap’s longtime partner in crime in the comics, making his Marvel Film Universe debut. Anthony and Joseph Russo will direct “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” next March, with a release already set for April 4, 2014.

It’s unclear what role the young actresses are testing for, though it’s believed to be a new love interest for Steve. Could it be Sharon Carter, great-niece to Peggy Carter, the love Steve left behind in the 1940s and played by Hayley Atwell in “Captain America: The First Avenger”?

Anthony Mackie and Aubrey Plaza joining “A Many Splintered Thing” starring Chris Evans and Michelle Monaghan

October 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Anthony Mackie, Aubrey Plaza, Giovanni Ribisi and Philip Baker Hall are all in talks to join Chris Evans and Michelle Monaghan in indie “anti-romantic comedy” “A Many Splintered Thing”, reports Variety.

Evans plays a man disillusioned with love, who meets the beautiful but engaged Monaghan while pretending to be a philanthropist at a charity dinner. He pretends to put himself into the Friend Zone in order to continue to pursue her romantically. No word on who any of the aforementioned new cast additions will play, but according to Deadline, Topher Grace will play Evans’ best friend. Commercials director Justin Reardon makes his feature directorial debut from a Black List script by Chris Shafer & Paul Vicknair. Production is slated to begin next month.

Mackie and Evans will work together here first, before heading to Cleveland to shoot “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Mackie has been confirmed for the role of Marvel superhero Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon in that film. He also has Michael Bay’s dark comedy “Pain & Gain” opposite Mark Wahlberg, as well as Ruben Fleischer’s “Gangster Squad” with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone awaiting release. Plaza, a regular on NBC comedy series “Parks and Recreation”, and Mackie worked together on the recently released high school reunion drama “10 Years.” Her completed indie films include “The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman” opposite Shia Labeouf and Evan Rachel Wood, and Roman Coppola’s “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III” with Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones, Imogen Poots front-runners for “Captain America 2″ female lead?

August 19, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 9 Comments

Now that “Iron Man 3″ filming is underway and “Thor: The Dark World” is well on its way to production, attention turns to casting on “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, the sequel to Joe Johnston’s hit Marvel “Avengers” prequel that saw Chris Evans as the quintessential American soldier and superhero leader.

With Evans back on board and Sebastian Stan most likely reprising his role as Bucky Barnes, who eventually becomes the titular Winter Soldier, as well as Anthony Mackie joining the team as Falcon, the search now turns to the female lead. The identity of the role is not revealed but has been speculated to be that of Sharon Carter, SHIELD agent and love interest to Evans’ Rogers, and descendant of his first love Peggy (played by Hayley Atwell in the first film). Page Six reports three young actresses who are considered front-runners for the role are Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones and Imogen Poots. Anthony and Joseph Russo will direct “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, with a release already set for April 4, 2014.

Jones and Poots are no strangers to shortlists. Jones, who broke out in Drake Doremus’ improv romance drama “Like Crazy”, most recently lost out on the female lead role in Kenneth Branagh’s “Jack Ryan” reboot to Keira Knightley, though she did win out over Poots – who has appeared in “Fright Night” and currently shot footage for Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups” – for the lead role in Ralph Fiennes’ Charles Dickens biopic “The Invisible Woman.” Kendrick, though critically lauded, has seemed to have a hard time breaking into leading lady status, often playing quirky, supporting roles in comedies instead. One of those roles – opposite George Clooney in Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” – did win her an Oscar nomination, so it’s obviously working for her, but the female lead role in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” would still certainly be a major breakthrough for her.

Anthony Mackie in talks to join “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” as Falcon

July 16, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

More “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” news? Bring. It. On. Especially when it’s casting news as awesome as one of our favorite rising stars, Anthony Mackie, in talks to join the cast as Marvel superhero Falcon. THR reports Mackie is in negotiations for the role of Sam Wilson opposite returning Cap Chris Evans (and most likely Sebastian Stan as well).

The title of the film definitely seems to indicate Stan’s deceased Bucky Barnes will be revived and brought back to battle Evans’ Steve Rogers in modern times, following his fate in the comics. Mackie’s character Wilson is credited as being the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics, who is endowed with the ability to fly and communicate with birds by Cap’s nemesis, Red Skull. Rogers befriends Wilson and successfully turns him against the villain who “created” him, and the two go on to have many crime-fighting adventures together. Of course, this is the Marvel movie universe, so a whole new history could be created for this version of the Falcon. Anthony and Joseph Russo will direct “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, with a release already set for April 4, 2014.

After breaking out in Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Picture Oscar winner “The Hurt Locker” opposite Jeremy Renner, Mackie has been increasingly in demand, appearing in four movies in 2011 and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” already out this year, with “Gangster Squad” set for release in September. He recently wrapped up Michael Bay’s dark indie comedy “Pain and Gain” opposite Mark Wahlberg and is currently filming gambling thriller “Runner Runner” with Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck.

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