In December, Marvel Studios adjusted their schedule of release dates for 2014 by moving their June time slot to and odd pre-summer date of early April. As we just found out from Disney today, that early April weekend is reserved for Captain America 2.
When actor Neal McDonough said a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger could begin shooting as early as this year, he wasn’t joking. Read on for details and a brand new still from The Avengers!
The Avengers is done and will hit theaters in four weeks to kick off the summer movie season. Later that month, Iron Man 3 begins production and either during or just after, Thor 2 will also enter principal photography so they can both release next year. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 will both be helmed by new directors in Shane Black and Alan Taylor, respectively.
What would come after that from Marvel Studios in 2014 was up in the air even though they had locked down a pair of release dates, one for May and one for June (changed to April as mentioned above). Despite expressing interest in a variety of other Marvel characters and spin-offs, the safe (read: bankable) bet for Marvel Studios is to continue with their core franchises and as expected, the next confirmed film on their production schedule is Captain America 2.
The Walt Disney Studios has announced a release date for Marvel Studios’ sequel to the blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger on April 4, 2014. The second installment will pick-up where the highly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012) leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.
While Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are said to be isolated stories not directly tying into, or relying on The Avengers, Captain America 2 is taking a different approach and utilizing SHIELD and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury character. At this point, we can consider it a bridge between The Avengers 1 & 2.
Another solo vehicle for Chris Evans playing Steve Rogers is not surprising, but an April release date partly is. Why open a month before summer? We speculated in discussing Marvel’s plans for 2014 that there are two main potential reasons for this:
- Marvel will add a third release date, either in the summer (maybe making use of that June 27 date) or in the fall, something they’re testing in 2013 with Thor 2. This would allow them to play with interconnected films and/or do more to setup for The Avengers 2 the following year.
- Dropping a summer date for a spring date means one of two things. This mystery project is not a big-budget tentpole or it directly ties into whatever the second movie is in May and needs to come before it. The May date is the most important and has to stay there.
As we know now, the April movie is not a low-budget flick so it (Captain America 2) could very well lead into the May film which opens a mere few weeks later. Could it finally be Ant-Man from director Edgar Wright, who last spoke about the project at Comic-Con? We knew the character couldn’t fit into The Avengers and would get his intro later, in time for The Avengers 2…
Since Captain America 2 is about Steve Rogers and SHIELD, and according to Edgar Wright, Ant-Man is about its title character playing a SHIELD spy, Cap 2 is the perfect place to introduce or cameo in Ant-Man since whatever it will have already been filmed. It may be a safer bet than going cosmic post-Avengers…
Another possibility is the less-discussed option of a SHIELD/Nick Fury film, something Samuel L. Jackson once name-dropped, and something Neal McDonough reiterated when he spoke about Cap 2 filming late this year:
“They’re planning [to go into production] for the end of this year, because Marvel does one film at a time. So they’re going to do Thor 2 and as soon as Thor has wrapped, they’ll do Cap 2. Hopefully right after that, we’ll jump into Nick Fury because that’s the one I’m looking forward to more than anything.”
With The Avengers 2 likely coming in the summer of 2015, a SHIELD movie makes sense as the last Marvel releasing before it. It’s also another smart place to introduce the Ant-Man character.
Thoughts?
The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard. It is of course written and directed by Joss Whedon, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012.
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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes if you’re a Marvel fan.
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i say bring in ant-man and winter soldier for the next cap film,and ultron for ironman 3. but i am more excited for a hulk sequel with more Abomination, and finally the Leader.
Aren’t they using Mandarin in Iron Man 3? I’d really rather see him and then see Ultron against Ant-Man. He’s Hank Pym’s creation anyway
capt 2 could follow the rise of hydra and the movies sub plot could involve capt tracking down an anonymous sharp shooter (bucky) who is getting things done the wrong way.
the 1st one was good but lacked action (but was very bloody for a pg-13 movie), hope they amp up the action and make the straight dialogue scenes more engaging then in the 1st one.
The only actor that I can legitimately see as Hank Pym is SIMON BAKER from the mentalist. He’s perfect and actually looks similar to some the incarnations of Hank Pym.
Bradley Cooper for Ant-Man. After seeing Limitless I think he could be perfect for the part. Funny(Hangover, Limitless, and more), could act smart(Limitless), could look good doing action(Limitless, A-Team).
Bradley Cooper for Ant-Man. After seeing Limitless I think he could be perfect for the part. Funny(Hangover, and more), could act smart(Limitless), could look good doing action(Limitless, A-Team).
Is this true? Was there a Captain American I ever made?
If this franchise really wants to distinguish itself from The Avengers, Marvel needs to introduce the Falcon in the series. Cap and Falcon were the original salt and pepper buddy combination, Power Man and Iron Fist, Riggs and Murtaugh be damned!
Marvel needs to hire Nate Parker (Red Tails) to play Sam Wilson. This kid is going to be a star of some superhero franchise, be it as John Stewart or as the first African-American superhero.
Falcon is awesome and really shines in Civil War, but he seems a very difficult character to do in live-action with those wings. I suppose they could do him more like Batman?
Michael Jai White as Luke Cage
I am really pulling for Avengers to intro BP, and maybe his movie will hit in May 2014. Question though, does Marvel only have two dates in 2013, IM3 and Thor2? If Thor hits in the fall, doesnt that leave an open summer date? If so, thats when the BP movie should arrive.
Cap and BP are two characters who could work really well together as they are both human and rely on their athletic ability and their tech to fight the bad guys. Neither one of them can fly and neither of them are “super powered”, so no conflict there.
@Blastaar. Yuup. I can see Baker as Hank Pym. Perfect casting I think.
If Cap 2 doesn’t actively attempt to distinguish itself from The Avengers, it runs the risk of being inconsequential in the Marvel Studios canon.
A significant portion of Cap’s history is with the Falcon. Sam Wilson was the first African-American superhero in comic book history, and was a direct bridge from the Silver Age into the Bronze Age of Marvel.
Hopefully, Marvel Studios treats the character with the proper level of historical reverence that he deserves.
You realease a movie in April to limit its competition and keep expectations low. Marvel has a little trouble with Cap in that they worry how well a blatantly American storyline sells overseas. I feel like Cap 2 is going to be a lower budget affair which really serves to bridge Avengers 1 & 2 more than telling its own story. That’s where my thinking immediately went when reading about an April release date. Can their June release be Avengers 2? Fast tracked after extreme success of Avengers instead of the 2015 date cited in this article?
Also, my opinion is that we get Thanos for Avengers 2, plus Ant-Man and Wasp, and Ultron (and perhaps Vision?) for Avengers 3.
Yo dog
This movie will be awsome