Cinematical

With the onslaught of comic book movies hitting the screen lately, it may seem a bit unsual that the closest the Avengers have gotten to a film debut is the direct-to-DVD release of the animated Ultimate Avengers and the solo performance of the Incredible Hulk. Of course, rumors of an Iron Man flick have recently seemed to become reality once again - but the star-spangled leader of the Avengers remains absent for the time being. Odd, perhaps, as Marvel has brought out three of their four major properties (X-Men; Spider-Man; and the Fantastic Four), and has even given play to several less potent characters such as The Punisher and Elektra.

Marvel's power man Avi Arad promises that this gap will not go unfilled, however, noting that a Captain America project is part of the Paramount arrangement Marvel has with the studio. The question of Captain America's conflicts will likely be a dicey one, as America's involvment in foreign wars in this present time is a highly polarizing issue. Avi adresses the topic by saying "One of the things our movie is going to deal with is what happened in 60 years...Which world was better? Sixty years ago or now? Within, obviously, a kick-ass plot and all the stuff that you've come to expect from a superhero movie." Sounds okay to me.

The script is still in production by an as-yet-unnamed writer, and Arad says that while he doesn't expect to see Cap in theaters before 2009, he does have both a director and a lead actor in mind. Of course...he doesn't drop names for either.

With Captain America's history, he is certainly no stranger to controversial wars and I think it's pretty clear that he can exist as a positive and patriotic figure in many different scenarios. I don't think we need to worry too much about his flick becoming overtly political, as the folks at Marvel know that what brings in the super hero audiences is a good dose of action and compelling characters- not ideological statements.